Dragon Ball Minus
by HeroR
Summary: An unapologetic warrior who lives for battle and slaughter millions for pride and glory. A kindhearted pacifist who hates fighting and hurting others. Two opposites who have nothing in common. And yet, these opposites form a bond that is nearly unheard of in Saiyan society. A bond that is destined to save the universe.
1. Beasts of Death

**Back after a long break with a new _Dragon Ball_ story. For my One Piece and Tale of Symphonia fans, I am still working on those stories. I haven't forgotten about you. I just wanted to write a story like this for awhile and life happened which slows my writing. **

**As the title suggest, this fic is base on _Dragon Ball Minus_ , the bonus chapter from _Jaco the Galactic Patrolman_. If you haven't read it, I highly suggest you do, you can buy it digitally for seven dollars off of the Viz website in the US, not sure about other countries. This isn't a straight adaptation since it will have some elements from _Bardock: Father of Goku_ along with some other stuff. Yeah, I know it isn't exactly new to blend the two origin stories, but I have a slightly different take on it that I hope you like reading.**

 **Please enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Beasts of Death**

* * *

The battle wasn't going well. The inhabitants of this remote world were much better armed, trained, and powerful than the reports suggested. The report said that only a miniature force was needed to take this planet along with one or two elites, but even that wasn't really needed. A simple purge, should take less than week, two at the very most.

He made a mental note to fry the jackasses responsible for this mock up.

So far, he lost almost forty percent of his troops to the natives of this damn, backwater planet and it hasn't even been a week since the invasion. At this rate, they were going to be wiped, which wouldn't please Lord Frieza.

He shivered at the mentioned of his lord's name.

Lord Frieza wasn't one to care about the lost of his men. As long as the planet was taking in a timely manner, any lost of life could be excused. If they were weak enough to be killed by some native, then they weren't worthy to be in Lord Frieza's service. Your death helped trimmed the fat.

That was simply the kind of guy Lord Frieza was, ruthless, coldhearted, and eviler than the devil. Which was why he was called and proudly proclaimed himself to be the Empire of Evil. Given that he controlled the biggest and most powerful army in the known universe….hell in the history of the universe, he had to be doing something right. One didn't get ahead by being sympathetic to the weak. Only powered matter and being 'good' or 'moral' were crutches for the feeble.

He gave a loud sighed as he rubbed his forehead, which was pounding from his current migraine.

He knew he wasn't going to get a promotion for this botched job, but if he took too long taking this world, his life was forfeited. Lord Frieza was expecting this job to be done by the end of the week since the planet was small with 'minimum' defenses so his lord didn't think the extra week was necessary. Lord Frieza wouldn't accept someone screwing up the entail as an excuse.

Damn. He was going to kill those scouts.

"Commander, the resistance has retaking Section Z and we're close to losing Section F," one of his subordinates reported.

He growled as he stood up for his desk. "How can we be losing so badly to the natives of this trash planet? We are the Frieza Force! The most powerful and feared army in the universe!" He slammed his fist into the desk, destroying it upon impact.

The soldier bowed his head. He was trembling in fear of his commander. "The power levels of this world are much higher than previously reported. We were told that the natives here only had power levels of around one-thousand. While most of the grunts are weak, their best fighters have power levels around two and even three-thousand. Our best men in comparison are only around twenty-five thousand."

He sneered. "Those idiots. When surveying a world, you _always_ search for the best fighters, not just give averages. Hell, as far as we know, they can have a fighter out there at over five-thousand or something."

"We have requested reinforcements, sir. Help should be arriving in less than an hour. But our primary backup won't be arriving until three days from now," the solider informed.

"That's too late!" he yelled in frustration, startling the soldier. "If we go over schedule, Lord Frieza will have our heads on platter and that is _if_ he's feeling merciful!"

The soldier shook his head, not sure what to say. "It's the best we can do on such short notice. Our armies are spread all over this galaxy. Hardly anyone can get any backup at the moment."

He growled again and raised his energy, nearly knocking over the poor messenger. It was said to never shoot the messenger, but he was very tempted at the moment. The poor bastard did nothing wrong, but he needed someone to take his stress off on.

No…his biggest problem was that the Frieza Force was spread extremely thin. Lord Frieza has been rapidly growing his empire lately, so fast in fact that the Frieza Force couldn't expand fast enough to keep up with it. Which meant smaller invasion forces, less chances for reinforcements, and less room for screw-ups like these.

"Damn it all!" he yelled as he kicked over his desk, scaring his poor subordinate more. It took him several seconds to calm down. He took several deep breaths as he recomposed himself. "Fine then. Who are the reinforcements that are coming? Maybe we can do something with them."

"We got confirmation that the reinforcement are a group of Saiyans," the soldier answered, happy that he was still alive.

"Saiyans!? Those vicious monkeys?" he asked in surprise.

He never personally worked with or even seen a Saiyans before, but he knew their reputation. They were considered to be the most ruthless and violent creatures within Lord Frieza's army. Not only were they unnaturally strong, even by their standards, but they could transformed into giant, mindless were-monkeys under the light of a full moon. Planet destroyers some called it. They were also largely independent of the Frieza Force, similar to the Ginyu Force. They worked under their own system and rules under supervision of their king.

He wasn't completely sure why the Saiyan were given the special privilege of keeping their own army after they were taking in by Lord Frieza, but he assumed it was because the Saiyans were seen as largely uncontrollable. Most say they were only a few steps above a wild beast.

The soldier nodded. "There was a squad nearby coming back from another job. They volunteered themselves after receiving our distress call."

He rubbed his forehead and let out another deep sigh. He could feel his migraine getting worse.

He wasn't happy. The last thing he wanted or needed were a bunch of uncontrollable monkeys helping him. But he couldn't be picky. Not when it was his butt on the line.

Besides, the Saiyans were the perfect backup since they were expendable. Maybe he could blame the entire mess on them if pushed came to shove.

"Very well. The moment they arrive, send them straight to Section Z. We must regain that territory if we wish to take this world," he ordered.

"As you wish, sir," the soldier replied as he ran to carry out his orders.

* * *

A nearby squadron waited patiently for the arrival of the Saiyans. Most of them were quite anxious. Many of them have never seen a Saiyan. Despite their feared reputation, they were notoriously few in number.

It was said that the entire Saiyan race only numbered in hundred of thousands. Some of it was because the Saiyans rarely breed. A female was lucky to have one child in their lifetime. Saiyans also didn't lived that long despite being a very healthy race. The average Saiyan only lived thirty years at most. Then again, when you were from a fighting craze society who put even their children on the frontlines, living a long life was extremely unlikely.

"They're here!" one of the soldiers exclaimed, getting everyone's attention.

From the sky, several bright spheres could be seen in the distance. It didn't take long before those spheres crash landed several hundred feet away from the awaiting squad. From the looked of it, there were five attack balls.

This got several of the soldiers chattering nervously.

Their only backup for the next couple of days were only five people? Even if they were the dreaded Saiyans, that was nothing. Only the elite Ginyu Force traveled in such small numbers and they were the best of the best. Captain Ginyu alone was said to be second only to Lord Frieza in power.

Then again, it was rumored that Saiyans usually traveled in teams between three to six. A pitiful number considering that the average invasion force within the Frieza Force was usually in the couple hundreds. But it was also said that Saiyans rarely needed more than two teams to take a planet.

A hissed filled the air as the attack balls' hatches opened. Slowly, the five Saiyan emerged.

One of them was a female with short hair, an extremely unusual sight. There were very few females within the Frieza Force. Lord Frieza found them to be a distraction, especially to species who had mating seasons. From where they stood, she was quite pretty in a primitive sort of way.

Two of the males were big and had unclean appearances. One of them was almost bald with hair sticking out of their sides and the other one had mop-like hair and was quite fat.

The other two males Saiyans were, by comparison, quite clean and would almost be considered handsome by some species' standards. The one who stood in the middle of the group stuck out since his hair was very strange, even for a Saiyan. He had spike like hair sticking out at all sides. It was completely uncanny.

"So, it was you bums that called for help," the Saiyan in the middle of the group spoke.

The commander of the welcoming squad stepped forward. "Yes. We have requested reinforcements in capturing this world. The citizens have proven to be much stronger than our scouts originally reported."

The Saiyan snorted. "Which is why you should never believe those reports. Even a weak world like this one is bound to have one or two incredible fighters. Add the desperation of them defending their homes, and you're in for one hell of a fight."

One of the Saiyans touched their scouter, reading the power levels within the nearby area. "Seems like there're more than just one or two good fighters. I'm detecting well over a dozen." He snickered. "Someone really screwed up. No wonder you guys got your butts handed to you."

The other Saiyan smirked. "Well, that's why we're here, Tora. We specialize in bailing out other people's asses."

The fat Saiyan laughed. "They maybe tough, but it isn't anything we can't handle."

"Tora, when is the next full moon on this planet?" the obvious leader of the group asked.

Tora checked something on his scouter. "The next full moon will appear in a little over a week."

"We don't have that type of time," one of the soldiers spoke up. "Lord Frieza wants this planet by the end of the week."

The Saiyan leader nodded his head. "The end of the week, huh? Frieza has always been impatient."

"That's _Lord_ Frieza, you overgrown ape!" one of the soldiers shouted.

"Since we can't wait for a full moon, we can't do this job as fast as we want," the Saiyan leader said, paying no attention to the outburst. "But, given the levels we have scanned, we can take this world in two days."

The commander of the soldiers flinched. "Two days!? Impossible! We have hundreds of men here and we've been hammered for the past week. What makes you think you can go and win it all in just two days!?"

The female Saiyan snickered. She smugly rubbed her nose. "We can do it because we aren't a bunch a wimps like you."

The commander sneered in outraged. "What was that!?"

"Fasha, let's not start any unneeded drama," the Saiyan leader said, although it was obvious by his tone that he completely agreed with her. He turned his attention back to the commander. "Two days. Three at the very most."

The commander growled at the group of Saiyans.

Who the hell did they think they were? Coming here and given such lofty promises.

Two days, these arrogance apes would be dead in less than two hours. The Saiyans truly were as cocky as the rumors depicted them. No wondered they were so few in numbers.

At the same time, he wasn't in any position to badmouth them. If they could take this world in just two days, it would save all their butts from Frieza's wrath. And that meant more to him at that moment than his pride.

"Fine. Go straight to Section Z. That is where the strongest resistance forces are at this moment," the commander ordered, wishing in the back of his mind that the fighters in that area massacred them.

The Saiyan leader nodded before glancing his squad. "Let's move out!"

The Saiyans took off into the air, leaving an explosion of dust in their wake.

"So, those were the ruthless Saiyans," one of the soldiers spoke before snorting. "They don't look like much. Just a primitive bunch of nobodies."

"They certainly have big mouths," another solider mocked. "To think that Lord Frieza puts up with those arrogance apes."

The commander folded his arms. "The Saiyans maybe a bunch conceit monkeys, but they have certainly proven their worth. More than once, a small group of Saiyans has completely turned the tide of battle. As much as it pains me to admit, they just may be able to take this world in two days."

"Are you serious!?" one of the soldiers exclaimed. "That group of apes. I don't see it."

"Trust me, I hope they fail because I hate their attitude, but the fact of the matter is that we need this world by the end of the week, otherwise Lord Frieza will have us all killed," the commander said as sweat build on his forehead. "And, as unlikely as it is, they can probably do it. The Saiyans...are said to be the strongest warrior race in the universe. The beasts of death."

The soldiers stared at their commander as they heard those words.

It didn't take the Saiyans long to find where all the heavy fighting was taking place. Even without their scouters, they could see the blasts of energy and hear the explosions in the distance.

"Be careful," the Saiyan leader warned. "I'm reading power levels in the upward two-thousands. Fasha and Borgos, you're with me! Tora and Shugesh, take the south and destroy those weapon towers! We need to clear the field!"

Tora nodded. "Got it, Bardock. Watch your back out there. I don't want to drag your half-dead body to the healing tank again."

Bardock smirked. "Of course."

Tora and Shugesh split from the main group, leaving Bardock, Fasha, and Borgos to take on the main forces on the ground.

"Let's give them hell!" Bardock shouted as he led his crew into battle.

The inhabitants, who looked strangely like overgrown lima beans, saw their approach and immediately attempted to shoot them with their energy.

Bardock deflected most of them with little effort, while Fasha blindsided one of their attackers while they were focused on him, taking them out with one well placed energy wave. Borgos covered them, killing many of the advancing troops.

There were many shouts of disbelief and anger from the inhabitants as they charged their new opponents.

Bardock showed no mercy as he torn through them with a series of punches and kicks. From the information he gathered on his way to this planet, he knew all their vital spots. In dense areas like these, he couldn't waste time to savor the joys of one-to-one battle.

"What...what are these monsters!?" someone shouted, not believing how effortlessly their forces was being torn apart.

Fasha released a wave of rapid fired energy blasts, attempting to clear the area. She was so focused on her task, that she nearly missed her scouter beep. She turned to see one of the inhabitants firing a powerful blast at her.

Before she could evade, Borgos jumped in front of her and tanked the blast. Other than some burns to his armor, there was no damage.

"Impossible!" the native screamed before Borgos atomized him with a palm blast.

Fasha nodded in gratitude. "Thanks. I got careless."

Borgos returned the nod. "The people here are strong. Keep your guard up."

A huge explosion rocked the planet and Bardock looked up to see several buildings falling in the distance. "Looks like Tora and Shugesh are doing their part." He turned towards his crew. "Advance! Don't give them any quarter!"

The three Saiyans made their advance, slaughtering anyone who crossed their path. They were like a wall of death.

"Get the tanks out here! Don't let them take another step!" someone screamed.

Within seconds, several huge tanks came roaring down the street.

"Looks like they're bringing out the big guns," Fasha mused as she attempted to destroy the tank with a blast of energy. Her attack deflected right off of it.

This made Fasha hummed. "Stronger than I thought."

Bardock narrowed his eyes. "Fasha, Borgos, stand back! I'll handle this!"

Fasha looked towards her leader. "Are you sure?"

"These things are too powerful for you guys. You will only get yourselves killed," Bardock stated. "Take care of the reinforcements and leave the rest to me."

Fasha nodded in understanding. "Got it."

Borgos moved to the side to wipe out any advancing troops.

While his crew covered him, Bardock gave a wolfish grin as he ran towards the tanks. They fired rapidly upon him, but he skillfully dodged all their attacks.

Once he got within range, he slammed his fist through the hard metal of one of the tanks, punching a hole right inside. He released his energy, causing it to expand and exploded from the inside out.

"What the hell!? He punched through that indestructible metal!" one of the inhabitants yelled. "What are these creatures!? Are they really part of Frieza Force!?"

Bardock smiled as he listened their yells of terror. There was nothing like hearing the screams and cries of his enemies. He was barely warmed up and they were already mortified.

God he loved his job.

"Look at that! He has tail!" one of the natives shouted, finally taking noticed of his appendage which was now loose.

"You're right... It's a monkey tail..." someone spoke as dread filled their voice. "It...it can't be..."

Bardock turned towards them and slowly removed his arm from the destroyed tank. He wagged his tail so they could all get a good look at it. "It's just as you fear. What you are facing are the Saiyans, the greatest warrior race in the universe."

The natives stepped back in horror. "Saiyans...! The beasts of death themselves!"

Bardock smirked at hearing that title. "Too bad for you lot. You should have just submitted quietly to the Frieza Force. Now, you have to witness this horror before you die." He wagged his tail more as he spoke each word. "Although, you're luckier than most, since there's no full moon tonight. So you don't get to see the _real_ beasts of death."

"We will never submit to your kind!" one of the inhabitants yelled, regaining their courage. "Rather you're part of the Frieza Force or the devil himself, we will burn our planet before we give it to Frieza!"

"That right! We'll fight to the last person!" another one shouted.

"Such a noble sentiments," Bardock mocked. "Too bad you're far too weak to make good on your words." He raised his hand and vaporized the entire group of natives with one energy attack. "In this universe, only the strong have the right to live. Those who are weak shouldn't even bother to be born."

With that group of trash dealt with, he went back to work on destroying the remaining tanks.

They did get some good shots in. Some of the blasts from the tanks damaged his armor, leaving parts of his chest exposed and burnt, but nothing too serious. He had far worst.

Within less than an hour, Section Z was cleared.

"Hah, that was too easy," Shugesh bragged once Tora and he rejoined with the group. "You would expect better from a bunch that gave the Frieza Force such a hard time."

Tora looked over the remains of the resistance. "Not surprising. Frieza hardly sends his best these kinds of world. From what I've gathered, everyone thought this would be a quick purge."

"Well, their mistake works to our benefit," Bardock stated as he took a bite out of one of the natives. They didn't taste very good. That didn't just looked like lima beans, they tasted like them too. "With this conquest, we may finally be recognized by King Vegeta. Hell, maybe Frieza himself will take notice of us. This is our second purge just this week."

Fasha huffed as she wiped her brow. "I doubt that. You know what those elites think about us."

"They can't ignore us forever," Shugesh said, casually crushing one of the inhabitance's skulls under his foot. "Not only do we take highly dangerous jobs that the elites won't touch, we win."

"Well, before we pat ourselves on the back too hard, we should finish this job," Tora reminded everyone. "We only cleared out one section, after all."

Bardock dropped the remains he was eating and wiped his mouth. "Yeah. I did promise this rock in two days. I hate to go back on my word." He smirked.

They began their advance again. The soldiers of death were on the move.

* * *

The commander could only stare at his report in shock. It was completely unbelievable. In a span of just two days, not only did those Saiyans turned the tide of the battle, but they won.

The planet was theirs. Not single one of those filthy lima bean bastards were left alive. He personally made sure that any survivor was executed on the spot. Not a single man, woman, or child was spared. After the hell they put him through this last week, they deserved to be wiped out.

He sighed as he rubbed his forehead. He leaned heavily into his chair. "Somehow, we pulled through. Not only was the planet delivered on schedule, but we managed to save face with Lord Frieza."

"We owe it all to the Saiyans," a nearby soldier said. "That guy, Bardock, and his crew maybe a bunch of conceited apes, but they kept their end of the bargain."

He glanced at his subordinate, but chose not to speak.

He despised saying it, but those monkeys really did saved his ass. Their reputation was well deserved. They were truly beasts on the battlefield.

He had been part of the Frieza Force for a long time. He had battled many monsters who fought to the last man to defend their world and yet, the Saiyans truly scared him. Just a handful of them could take a world that his forces struggled with. To add further insult, these were a bunch of their weakest fighters.

He was far from an expert on the Saiyans' ranking system, but he knew the basics. There were the lower and low class warriors, the medium class, and then the elites. Most of the Saiyans were ranked as lower to low class. Only a few hundred were considered medium class. Out of the elites, only a few were classified since they were hand chosen by their king. The king himself was literally in a class of his own, some times referred to as a super elite.

If their lower class fighters could do such damage, how powerful were their medium calls soldiers? Hell, how strong were their elites?

He shivered just thinking about it.

From what he'd been told, Bardock and his team were comprised from the lowest of the low by Saiyans' standards. They were the grunts given trash worlds because they were considered weak. And yet, they took this world with such eased. Were these standouts? Or perhaps….the Saiyans were becoming more powerful.

He narrowed his eyes. He had to report these fears to Lord Frieza.

"Tell Bardock that he has my highest gratitude," he finally spoke after several minutes of silence. "I will report his success to Lord Frieza himself."

He didn't like this, not one bit. The Saiyans were becoming too powerful. At the rate of their growth, their might would surpass the Frieza Force. There was no way he could allow a band of monkeys to upstaged the greatest army in the universe.

By his pride, he wouldn't allow it.

* * *

 **First chapter is done. The main story haven't moved, but we get some insight into the Frieza Force, the Saiyans, and Bardock. Ease into adventure I guess we can say.**

 **Until next chapter.**


	2. New Recruit

**The next chapter is here. Thank you for the reviews, favorites, and follows so far. Glad to see people enjoyed the first chapter. Hope you all keep reading as we move forward.**

 **Now, onward to the chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: New Recruit**

* * *

Bardock awoke with a jolt as he was brought of stasis. The computer told him that he's been asleep for almost a month, but it only felt like a few minutes had past for him. It was one of the things he hated about forced sleep. It never felt like rest.

"Hey, you're awake, Bardock," the voice of Tora spoke through his ship's communicator.

"Yeah," he answered in a gurgle voice as he rubbed his eyes and yawned. "You think after all this space travel I would be used to coming out of stasis."

Tora chuckled. "It's something you never get used to, old friend."

"Why are you calling me, anyway?" Bardock asked, getting the last fog of sleep out of his head.

"Just thought you wanted to see the view before we land," Tora answered in his normal good nature. "It's been awhile since we've seen this sight."

Bardock looked out of his window to see world of his birth, Planet Vegeta. It shone like a giant ruby in the blackness of space, especially since it was by far the biggest planet in this solar system. It was deceiving beautiful.

After over four years, he was home again.

Because of the constant demands from Frieza, it wasn't unusual for them to go several years without returning home. There were even Saiyans out there who haven't been back since they were kids sent to one of the frontier planets.

The life of a warrior was extremely difficult, especially when working for a galactic tyrant who desired to rule the entire universe.

He couldn't complain.

Despite the constant traveling and iffy food, he loved what he did. Working for Frieza and his army allowed them to fight on countless worlds against many powerful and unique opponents. Battles that would have been unheard of only a few decades ago were almost a daily occurrence.

Until they met Frieza, or more specifically one of the races associated with him, they were earthbound to Planet Vegeta since their ship was badly damaged and no one knew how to repair it. No one even remembered how they even built the freaking thing. After eliminating their annoying Truffle neighbors, they had no enemy to battle and were reduced to fighting among themselves again.

It was a dark period for them. They almost fought themselves to extinction, just like they almost did on their original world. It was King Vegeta, the general and hero of the Truffle War, that kept them from killing themselves. Through him, they were able to make contact with the worlds beyond their planet and forged alliances that gave them space travel again, allowing them to fight to their hearts content against other races while turning a nice profit for their work. The Saiyans were made for this type of work.

Through their accompaniments across this galaxy, they gained the attention of Frieza who annexed them and officially made them a part of his empire. King Vegeta was still left in charge of the daily operations and the Saiyans were allowed to work independently of the Frieza Force unlike the other races Frieza has taken in, but everyone knew who held the real power. No one was exactly happy about it, but Frieza gave more work, which meant more fighting.

And it wasn't like they had a choice in the matter anyway. It was physically impossible to opposed Frieza. As mighty as they were, Frieza was even mightier. It was said that Frieza was _the_ strongest being in the universe, capable of destroying planets with just his fingertips.

He was certain that was an exaggeration. There was no creature alive that could destroy a planet with just their finger. Even the great King Vegeta needed to charge a great deal of energy before he could destroy even a small world. The King could never destroy a planet the size of Vegeta with just one energy blast even if he aimed specifically for its core.

Still, there had to be some grain of truth in those anecdotes since King Vegeta _never_ crossed Frieza. His word overruled all, even the king's. There were even stories that there was someone above even Frieza who was the _true_ ruler of the Trade Empire.

Bardock shook his head.

He really didn't care about all this political crap. Rather he worked for King Vegeta or Frieza meant little to him. As long as he could fight, he didn't particularly care who gave the orders.

Within ten minutes of making visual contact with Planet Vegeta, they made landfall. From the position of the suns, it was the afternoon.

Bardock slowly climbed out of his pod as he attempted to adjust to the scorching heat.

Planet Vegeta was always hot. It was a planet with two suns, after all, with night only lasting a few hours. They also got very little rainfall, forcing them to ration out the water and making it impossible to grow crops.

It also took him a several minutes to readjust to the heavier gravity and denser air. Any off-worlder would have found themselves crushed instantly and their lungs exploding just from breathing if they were ill-prepared.

Planet Vegeta wasn't a pleasure world. Most would classify it as a trash planet or even a dead world unsuitable for life. Only the strong could survive here, which was why it was the ideal planet for them.

The harshness of this planet made them strong. It weeded out the weak among them and left only the strongest alive. That was why they were the greatest of all races. They truly embodied the philosophies of survival of the fittest and whatever that doesn't kills you, served to make you stronger.

Planet Vegeta was harsh, unforgiving, and cruel, just like them.

"Aw, it's good to be home," Shugesh said with a huge grin. He took a deep breath, taking in the air. "Been a long time."

Fasha stretched her stiffed muscles. "Four years. Hard to believe we've been gone that long. Feels like we were here just a few months ago."

Tora smiled. "Fighting is fun, but it's nice to take a break once and awhile." He turned towards Bardock. "So, how long does our shore leave last?"

"I think our next assignment isn't until next month," Bardock answered.

This surprised Shugesh. "Really? Why so long?"

"We got a new recruit coming into the crew," Bardock said. "That's why we were called back."

"A new recruit? We haven't had anyone added to the team in years," Tora observed.

Shugesh folded his arms and huffed. "And we really don't need one. The crew is perfect as it is. Why ruined a good thing with possible dead weight."

Bardock shrugged. "I agree, but it isn't my place to decide that, unfortunately."

Fasha shook her head. "You would think as the team leader you would have some power over who joins the crew."

"Well, no point complaining about it," Bardock replied. "Outside of our missions, I have no real authority."

Which he completely _despised_. Why with all their victories were they still being treated like third-rate warriors? Haven't they proven their worth yet? It was so frustrating. Although they were all born as lower class warriors, they were all vastly stronger than others in their class. Some within his crew were even approaching mid-tier fighters in power. And yet, they still got no respect.

But, it was what it was.

It was extremely hard to get out of the caste system, especially when you were born at the bottom. Those who were classified as lower class fighters were there not just because they were born weak, but they were also given a very low growth potential. All of them were given a maximum power level between five to six-hundred when they were tested as children. It was only through _a lot_ of hard work and near-death experiences that they were able to break their limits and grow beyond what the test estimated.

"Well, I better go meet our newest soldier," Bardock said before smirking. "You bums can run off and have fun. Since we're not going anywhere for awhile, you can cut loose."

Shugesh chuckled. "Not too much fun to have around here, but I'm certain to find something to keep me entertain."

Fasha looked towards Borgos, who had remained quiet throughout the entire conversation. Which was completely normal for him. Outside of battlefield, the man barely speaks a word to the point that most thought he was mute. "So, what do you plan to do, Borgos? Are you going to meet up with that woman you left behind?"

Borgos snorted. "She has her own assignments."

Fasha paused in thought. "Didn't you have a child with that woman? Given their age, they should be out of the incubator and preparing to become a fighter if they haven't been sent to one of the frontier worlds."

Borgos crossed his arms. "Yeah, I do have a kid by her. He's the lowest of the low with almost no fighting potential. An utter piece of trash."

Tora frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that. But he could have some hidden potential, much like us. You shouldn't write him off just yet."

Borgos growled. "I don't care if he can climb his way up. I want a kid that's at least medium rank. One that don't need to struggle at the bottom like me."

Shugesh patted his comrade's back. "I can understand where you're coming from, but unless you get with some powerful woman, any kid we have is going to be low class at best. And no high class lady will get with a bunch of foot soldiers like us."

Fasha rolled his eyes. "That's right. Depress him further."

"Look at it this way. Once we climb up the ranks, we'll have those high end women begging to get with us," Tora said with a smirk.

Bardock rolled his eyes as he walked off.

He never cared for this kind of talk. If he never had a kid, that was fine with him. They were a waste of time, even if they were born a mid-class. He was happy that he wasn't born a woman so he wouldn't be forced to carry a baby and missed several months' worth of fighting.

Although, he was more than aware that he was reaching the age where he needed to take care of his inner desires. The average Saiyan usually started to have sex around their early twenties. Most tried to ignore it, but eventually the urge overwhelmed them.

Thankfully, he hasn't reached that point yet. And even if he did, Fasha and he already made arrangements. Since they were around the same age, the urge should hit them around the same time, allowing them to get both of their businesses out of the way. Given how long they were usually away and Fasha being the only female in sight, it would happened that way even if they didn't planned ahead of time.

Some would argued that he could just ravage a native female on one of the many worlds they conquered much like the Frieza Force, but he had _no_ interest in that. He didn't want to touch some filthy native. No Saiyan wanted to.

Besides, he didn't mind getting with Fasha. She was a nice woman and a good fighter. Her potential was limited, like all of them, but she was a hard worker who fought on the front lines with him for years. He trusted her with his life, making her more than worthy to bear his child if that should happened.

The problem he had with Fasha was that she had this strange maternal instinct. Unlike most females, she not only wanted a child, but also wanted to raise it. Most females just had a baby and left it in the care of birthing center so they could get back to their assignments. He'd never met his mom and the same was true with the rest of his crew. Hell, he doesn't even know what his mom looked like.

If and when Fasha had a child, they would lose a valuable member of the crew. And if he had the unfortunate luck of being the father, Fasha would expect him to visit and be a 'present' in the child's life.

Then again, Fasha was a little on the weird side. She grew up with her father who personally taught her how to fight and survived. In comparison, he met his father only a few times in his life before the old man met a violent and gruesome end during the purging of Planet Zero. The only thing he vaguely recalled about the old man was that he had a similar hairstyle to him, which was unusual even for Saiyans' standards. He mentioned in passing that it was a family style that always went to the second child or something. Which meant he was second child of the family, something he didn't know.

It was somewhat amusing to think that he had an older brother or sister somewhere, but he never bothered to check. As far as he was concerned, his crew was his only family. Something as fickle as blood ties were for the inferior species.

With his head finally cleared of that mess, he made his way to the primary command center that was located in the only major city on Planet Vegeta. There used to be more, but they were destroyed during the Truffle War. It was a major reconstruction effort just to repair the old capital and even then almost all the more advance buildings were created by the Trade Empire.

It wasn't a big deal. The Saiyan population was small and most weren't even on the planet at one time, so everyone could live within this one city without any issue. Besides, most of the planet was uninhabitable, even for them.

The command center was emptied, which was also common. Most commands happened over the computer.

"Bardock, you're late," a large man wearing black and yellow armor scolded. His hair was messy in the typical Saiyan fashion and he had a thick beard.

"I got distracted," Bardock answered in his usual nonchalant manner.

The man gave a deep sigh. "Well, I suppose this infraction can be overlooked, this time. We got your later report. Congratulation on your conquest of Planet Bean. Got a thank you from one of the commanders on the Frieza Force."

Bardock snorted. "We deserves more than a thank you for bailing them out. Their scout teams completely missed the mark on that planet. Those morons would've gotten themselves wiped if it wasn't for us."

"So I've heard," the older Saiyan said as he led Bardock towards the back of the building. "You and your crew have been making quite a name for yourselves. You seem to have made it a hobby of rescuing other teams and saving botched missions."

"It's the only way to get the good missions," Bardock answered. There was an edge of annoyance in his voice. "If we didn't take distress calls, we would be forced to only conquer trash planets."

The older Saiyan hummed. "It can't be helped. You and your crew are a lowest class fighting unit. Unless you rank higher, you can never get the serious jobs."

"With all due respect, I think my crew more than earned the right to take tougher assignments," Bardock stated, trying to keep his anger under control. "We take the highly dangerous jobs that no one else wants, and we win every time with no casualties. We deserve far more respect for we've done."

"I understand your frustrations, believe me," the other Saiyan replied. "Being born on the bottom isn't easy. It took me my entire life just to be reclassified as a low class warrior. But King Vegeta is extremely strict about the class system. You need to have a power level of over three-thousand just to be considered a medium class. Which is outrageous given that the average Saiyan only reach levels of one-thousand. You can't even become an elite through normal systems. You have to be picked by the king."

"I don't mind the high standards. King Vegeta only wants the best in his presence and I can respect that," Bardock said. "My problem is that it is close to impossible to get retested, despite being forced give our power levels every time we return home."

The man glanced at Bardock. "You think you've become that much stronger?"

"My maximum potential was only supposed to be seven hundred. When I was last scanned four years ago, I was well over twenty-five hundred," Bardock stated.

The older Saiyan hummed again. "I see your point. Then again, nearly getting yourself killed on a daily basic and being brought back from the brink will make even a weak Saiyan powerful."

Bardock smirked. "But isn't that what makes us so great? What doesn't kill us, only makes us stronger."

The other Saiyan returned the smirk. "Point taking." They stopped walking when they reached the furthest room. "You will find your newest recruit here." He pressed a button to open the door.

"Are they powerful?" Bardock asked bluntly.

The older Saiyan frowned. "I'm afraid not. She's lower class warrior."

"She?" Bardock questioned as the door fully opened.

Inside stood a female doing a series of training exercises. She was small thing. She was a few inches shorter than Fasha from what Bardock could see. She wore a similar style of armor to his female comrade except her outfit had straps on both sides of her shoulders. Her hair was somewhat short, going down to about his shoulders, and spiky on the ends in the traditional Saiyan style.

"Gine. Come meet your new commander, Bardock," the older Saiyan ordered.

Gine stopped her exercises and turned towards them. She observed Bardock carefully before walking over to him.

Bardock blinked as he got a good look at her face.

She had a different aura from any Saiyan he ever met. He couldn't placed his finger on it, but there was something about her that made him feel...at ease.

Her eyes were also different. They had sense of innocent behind them. It wasn't the cold, jaded glazed of a Saiyan. What was she?

"Bardock, this is Gine. She's being transferred over to you from Pepper's crew," the old Saiyan explained.

"Pepper, huh?" Bardock questioned as he kept looking over Gine.

"There have been some moving around and reorganizing since we lost several fighters and crews during the Orbital Ring purge a few weeks ago," the older Saiyan explained.

"I see. I heard about that fiasco. Sorry that my crew couldn't be a part of it," Bardock said.

"Knowing how your crew works, you all would have been killed," the older Saiyan remarked off-handedly.

Bardock chose to ignore him as he turned his attention back towards Gine. "So, I'm told that you're a lower class fighter."

Gine nodded. "I'm afraid so. But I am also a hard worker and will do my best to support the crew."

Bardock stared at Gine for several seconds. "Can you excuse us for a moment." He grabbed the other Saiyan and quickly pulled him to the other side of the room. He made sure he was out of Gine's hearing range. "Okay, what's this about?"

"Pardon?" the older Saiyan asked.

"Don't play dumb with me. There's something...off about her," Bardock whispered harshly as he gave a quick glanced at Gine, who was staring at them. "There's a look in her eyes that isn't like us. She's different."

The older Saiyan sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Should have figured that it wouldn't get past you."

"So, what is she?" Bardock demanded.

"A reject," he answered.

Bardock's eyes widened as those words hit him.

A reject? He didn't know that they still existed.

It was said that in the ancient past that there were Saiyans who were born without the desire to fight. They abhorred violence and wanted to find peaceful solutions to everything.

They even tried to form an alliance with the Truffles not long after they came to this world, saying how it was the Saiyans' bloodthirst that led to the destruction of Planet Sadal and only by changing could the Saiyans hoped to survive. Some of those disgraceful Saiyan even sided with the Truffles during the war.

There was even some nonsense like those bleeding hearts could actually become stronger than a normal Saiyan.

It was all fairytales. Who could ever believed that anyone with such soft hearts could ever become strong, especially compared to a 'true' Saiyan. Their pitiful softness was what led them to their eventual extinction along with the Truffles. Or, so he heard.

"You should be surprise," the older Saiyan spoke, breaking Bardock out of his shock. "Gine is one of the very few rejects still in existence. Their kind was all but wiped out during the Truffle War."

"I thought they all died out completely," Bardock said after he found his voice.

"A few did survive. Despite their disabilities, they are still Saiyans. They won't die that easily. And, for some reason, some still chose to have children with them despite their inferior bloodline," the other Saiyan explained.

Bardock snorted. "If she's really a reject, what's she doing here? I thought Saiyans who are unable to fight were sent off-world somewhere."

"That's only for elites," the older Saiyan corrected. "Lower to low class Saiyans aren't that lucky. We're stuck with our garbage until they get themselves killed. You don't really hear about her kind since most rejects have the good sense to keep their heads down and try to stay out of trouble. As long as they don't try to push their softhearted drivel on the rest of us, we usually just turn our heads and pretend they don't exist."

Bardock growled as the implication of Gine joining his crew hit him. "That's why she's being transferred over to my crew, isn't it? It's all to slow us down. Is this the elites' way of showing contempt towards us?"

The older Saiyan rolled his eyes. "This is hardly a conspiracy against you, Bardock. You're a complete unknown outside the low class circles. Not even the medium class Saiyans know you from the usual bum on the road. Pepper just won major favor with the higher ups recently and was allowed to transfer Gine for a better soldier. Your crew was just the unlucky saps choosing." He glanced at Bardock. "Despite how highly you think of yourself, you're not important."

Bardock chose to ignore the insult as he sighed. "So….I'm stuck with her."

"Just keep her out of combat. Make her into a food carrier or something," the older Saiyan said. "If you're lucky, you can eventually get a transfer yourself and dump her. Or, even better, she gets herself killed. Knowing the missions you like to take, that's a good possibility."

Bardock glanced at the older man. "If she lasted this long, she won't go out and get herself killed." He sighed and rubbed a hand through his wild hair. "I guess I have no choice but to put up with it."

The older Saiyan patted Bardock's shoulder. "It isn't the worst thing in the world. From the reports I read, Gine tends to follow orders well despite her disability. She will do her best. Just don't expect much out of her."

"Thanks for the warning," Bardock muttered.

The older Saiyan turned away from him. "I will leave you two to get better acquainted. I suggest you introduce her soon to the rest of your crew. It's better that they know the truth about her now instead of finding it out on the battlefield."

"Yeah, I'll do that," Bardock sighed as the other Saiyan left.

And he was in such a good mood before coming here. He didn't expect to get a high-ranking soldier, but he never expected to be stuck with a reject of all things. That's just what he needed, dead weight.

He almost wanted to scream. It took him years to assemble a crew of advance fighters. Now, the entire team dynamic was in jeopardy.

Dammit.

He turned to look at Gine, who continued to stare curiously at him.

There was no point in complaining. He wasn't one to whine when bad luck struck. If he had to carry a boulder on his way to the top, so be it. It would only serve to make him that much stronger.

With his mind made up, he walked towards his new subordinate.

* * *

 **And Gine finally makes her appearance and we get some background on what she is. We also get some insight into Bardock and his way of thinking.**

 **Until next chapter, take care.**


	3. Gine

**The next chapter is up and ready for your reading enjoyment. Thank you for the reviews so far and I hope you keep reading. I know this story is a little on the slow side, but things will pick up soon.**

 **On, onward to the chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Gine**

* * *

She regarded her new commander carefully. Despite their attempts to speak softly, she heard every word they spoke about her. If it was one thing she was pride herself on, it was that she had developed a better sense of hearing compared to other Saiyans. It was a necessary ability given how often people try to take advantage of her.

Despite being classified as a softhearted reject, she wasn't dumb. She would have been dead long ago if she was.

All her life she heard the whispers about her coming from an inferior, tainted bloodline. A bloodline that betrayed their kinsmen to the Truffles and didn't have the Saiyans' warrior spirit.

A child of a pacifist wasn't welcomed in a race who prided themselves on being the greatest fighters in the universe. She was an uncomfortable reminder that there used to be more to the Saiyan race than just bloodthirsty warriors. The beasts of death as they're known throughout the universe.

If she were born into an elite family, she would have been exiled to some far off world and forgotten. Although it seemed harsh, it was actually quite merciful. Despite the well-known brutal nature of their race, it was against their laws for a Saiyan to kill another Saiyan. Unless a Saiyan was a traitor, a danger to others, or a mercy kill, it was taboo to hurt a fellow Saiyan.

This taboo was put in placed by King Vegeta after they nearly drove themselves to extinction, yet again, with all the in-fighting. Any Saiyan who killed another Saiyan outside of these exceptions were summarily executed, no questions asked. What some would call overly harsh greatly drove down the death toll within just the first year. Now, almost no Saiyan committed murder among themselves.

That's not to say that _no_ murders took place. They tended to happen on the battlefield where it was impossible to say if someone was killed by their own kinsmen or from an enemy's attack.

Which was why it was important for her to develop such good hearing. She needed to hear any murder plots or 'accidents' aimed at her, which happened with alarming frequency.

She could see her new commander staring at her, obviously sizing her.

She truly wished she were born into an elite or at least a medium class family. If she were, she would have been sent away to some frontier planet and be allowed to live her life in peace. She wouldn't have to pretend to be a warrior and constantly looking over her shoulder to ensure that her own comrades didn't kill her on the battlefield. She also wouldn't have to stomach this brutal, disgusting lifestyle.

"Well, looks like you're part of my crew from here on out," Bardock spoke, breaking the awkward silence. "I don't know what rules you went under with Pepper, but I run a different ship from him. You better adjust fast or you will be left behind."

"I already know that," Gine said with a note of impatience. "You and your crew are well known for taking the most dangerous and difficult assignments on the front lines. Most call you crazy for thinking that you're elites."

Bardock snorted. "Is that what they've been saying about me while I've been gone?"

Gine side-eyed him. "You and your crew are a popular gossiping subject. There is even a pool."

Bardock smirked in amusement. "Oh? What kind of pool?"

"About when you will get over your heads get yourselves killed, of course," Gine answered without restraint.

Instead of being insulted, he laughed out loud. "Didn't know I had so many people betting against me. I feel special."

"You shouldn't be surprise," Gine stated. "Some think you need to be reminded of your place. That you are all lower class warriors and will never be anything more."

Bardock stopped laughing. "Huh, let them say what they want. Unlike most of those fools, I have no intention of living my life as a measly low class, living off the scraps of the higher ups." He grinned. "I will climb my way up through the ranks and earn my right to become an elite. I will become the greatest warrior this world has ever seen, second only to King Vegeta himself."

"You have such lofty goals. I can see why you are so talked about," Gine noted.

Bardock turned his back on her. "You wouldn't understand."

She knew he wanted to add 'reject'.

He was partly wrong. She did understand. She understood the need to increase one's rank for a better life. The only different between them was what they wanted from that life. He wanted to become an elite for the glory and greater battles. She wanted to be an elite so she could leave this life of death and destruction, and be sent to the planet where the other banished Saiyans were placed. Only the king knew the location and he wouldn't let some lower class go there.

She supposed if she truly wanted to leave, she didn't need to go to that place. She could steal an attack ball and just leave. No one would care to follow her.

The problem was, there was really no place for a Saiyan to go. Their reputation has spread throughout the known universe. Unless she went to some far off uninhabitable world, she would be hunted and killed like a rabid dog by those who rightfully feared her kind. As unbearable as her existence could be at times, she found the idea living in isolation on some backwater planet to be even more unbearable.

"There's no point to just standing here and talking," Bardock suddenly spoke as he turned around and got into a battle stance. "Show me what you got."

Gine blinked. "Pardon?"

"I want to see what I'm being force to work with," Bardock said with an air of impatience. "I need to know if you're even somewhat useful to me on the battlefield."

She sighed in resignation. She should have figured that he wanted to test her battle skills, or lacked thereof.

Gine took a stance and waited for Bardock to make the first move. She didn't have to wait long.

Within seconds, Bardock was on her and aiming for a vital area on her neck. He certainly didn't waste time; he was already trying to knock her out. On most species, this would have been a fatal blow.

Thankfully, her instincts took over and she evaded all of Bardock's attacks, just barely keeping ahead.

He was just as fierce as the rumors said. He wasn't like the other lower class fighters whose technique tended to be sloppy and relied on overwhelming their opponent with brute force. Each of his attacks was precisely aimed to ether disable or to kill.

She wondered if he trained with an elite or maybe a mid-tier Saiyan, or did he learn this on his own. Although vital spots were taught to them, outside of a few select occasions, most Saiyans never really took advantage of them, finding that they ended fights too quickly. They wanted to play with their prey for as long as possible. This kind of precision aiming was obviously ingrained into him from practice.

"You're good at evading, I'll give you that," Bardock observed, not ceasing his assault at all. "But you can't dodge forever. Eventually, you need to attack!"

He suddenly loosened his tail and attempted to hit her with it. She easily avoided it, but realized almost too late that it was only a distraction. Without warning, he thrust his hand forward and released a wave of energy.

She dodged and on reflex shot back at Bardock.

Bardock easily caught the sloppy energy blast with one hand and smashed it like a grapefruit in his palm. "Oh, so you can fight back."

Gine didn't countered as she backed away from Bardock, getting as much distance as possible from her commander.

This made him smile. "I see."

He charged after her, rapidly firing at her the entire time. Despite the aggressive assault, Gine dodged all the energy blasts, although there were some closed calls.

Just as she evaded the last ball of energy, Bardock suddenly increased his speed, seemingly teleporting to Gine's location. Before she could react, Bardock slammed his fist into her stomach, causing her to double over.

She gasped for air as her world went black for a moment. She managed to stay on her feet and glared daggers at her commander.

"Impressive, you managed to breath out just as I hit you. If you didn't, you would have passed out," Bardock noted with a small measure of admiration. He went back to a neutral stance as he checked his scouter. "Throughout the exercise your power level only registered a little over three-hundred at its highest. Far below even a lower class warrior. But, it's much higher than I expected from a reject. Guess you're not completely worthless."

"You...didn't need to test me...to know that. I would have...told you...that my power level...was only three-hundred and ten," Gine gasped as she attempted to catch her breath.

"Power levels only tell me so much," Bardock stated, not paying too much attention to her. "Power levels only tell me how much energy you're emitting at one time. It tells me nothing of your speed, skill level, technique, and more."

Gine tilted her head as she finally caught her breath. He was wiser than she thought. "You really put a lot of thought into this."

"I'm no fool. I learned a long time ago how fickle power levels can be," Bardock said, still checking his scouter's readings. "There are some races out there that can suppress their energy to the point that their power levels are completely undetectable even for the newest scouters. There are as also those species who have techniques that greatly increases their power in short bursts. There are also a number of skills and techniques out there that don't even rely on power levels and that's not even getting into different species natural defenses or transformations. Point is, if you over rely on your scouter, eventually you will get whack."

She couldn't deny it, she was impressed.

She went through lot of commanders over the years and this was the first one who _ever_ criticized the limitations of the scouters. Almost everyone she worked under, including her own comrades, relied on the scouter to tell them how powerful and dangerous the enemy was.

In fairness to them, the scouters were correct the majority of the time and if the power different was too great, no amount of speed or technique could save you. An ant could never defeat a dinosaur, after all.

But, she had seen more than once one of her comrades or allies seriously injured or even killed because their scouters misled them. It was always best to side with caution and assumed that your opponent was much stronger than what the scouter read.

"Despite you low battle power, your speed and reflexes are quite good. Some of the best I've seen, actually. You also know how to take a punch well," Bardock said as he took his hand off his scouter and folded his arms. "However, you can't attack worth crap. Ducking and weaving will only get you so far, especially on the battlefield."

"I'm still alive," Gine said curtly.

"Which tells me nothing. You could be the type who hides behind your crew while they do all the fighting," Bardock said.

Gine puffed her cheeks and her face turned red. She prayed for patience. "I maybe a lousy fighter, but I'm no coward. I would _never_ just hide behind others to save myself."

"We will see," Bardock said as he turned his back on her again, which really grinded on her nerves. "Let's go."

"And where are we going?" Gine asked, becoming quite annoyed with her new commander and his pompous attitude. She was beginning to understand why the other lower class Saiyans couldn't stand him.

"We're going to meet my crew. Those bums should be at one of the bars near here. They like to drink together before going onto their own business during shore leave. Hopefully we can meet them before they become too intoxicated. They're not...pleasant people when they're wasted," Bardock answered as he walked ahead.

This surprised Gine, causing her to lose her previous annoyance. Most crews went their separate ways once they returned home. After spending years together on far-off worlds, one would get tired of seeing the same faces.

She said none of this out loud as she followed Bardock. It only took a few minutes to locate the bar where the rest of the crew was relaxing. Apparently, this was their default hang out location.

The bar wasn't too crowded since it was still fairly early in the day. Still, the environment was loud since several people were already hammered.

"Bardock! Didn't expect to see you so soon!" someone on the furthest side of the bar yelled.

She looked up to see a fat Saiyan sitting with three others at one of the tables.

Bardock smiled. She realized that it was the first real smile that she has seen him give. "I see it didn't take you guys long to crawl your way here."

The fat Saiyan laughed. "Of course. After being away for so long, it's nice to have real beer again and not that crap the Frieza Force gives us."

One of the other Saiyans raised their glass. "I'll drink to that. I can't even get a buzz off of their stuff."

One of the crew members looked at her. Gine didn't expect there to be another female on the team. "Oh, is this our new member?"

They all turned to stare at her, making her feel very uncomfortable. She did her best to hide it. Being meek wasn't a good first impression.

"Yeah, this is Gine. She's been transferred over from Pepper's crew," Bardock answered. He glanced at Gine. "This is my crew. The big one is Shugesh. The one who hates to talk is Borgos. That's Fasha." He looked at the last Saiyan and smirked. "And the ugly fellow over there is Tora."

The one named Tora chuckled. "If I'm ugly, what does that make you?"

Fasha smiled at her, ignoring the current back and forward. "Welcome to the team. It's about time we got another woman. It gets depression being stuck with these guys for years on end."

Shugesh chuckled. "How do you think we feel being stuck with only one female on the crew? You're lucky that me and Borgos got our urges out of the way, otherwise, you would be working overtime."

Fasha rolled her eyes at him. "You couldn't pay me to sleep with either of you."

This just made Shugesh laughed harder.

Gine couldn't help but to smile. From the little she'd seen, this was a very closed knit group.

Granted, most Saiyans were extremely closed to their crews. It was the closest thing to a family that many of them had or knew. But this crew seemed especially closed. They were almost like siblings. That's probably why they were all still alive when she thought about it. They had to become extremely close given their tendency towards suicide missions.

From the rumors she heard about Bardock and his crew, they've been together for almost a decade, which was unheard of outside the elite circles. Most crews only stood together for a few years at most. This was mostly because members died off and the commander was eventually killed. The lifespan of an active Saiyan crew was only about two to three years among the lower to low class Saiyans. For medium class Saiyans, it was about five years.

If she played her cards right, maybe she could get out of this alive. She knew that the reason she was assigned to Bardock's crew was so she would get killed on one of their impossible missions. She had no intentions of letting that happened.

"We will begin training tomorrow so we can break in our newest member," Bardock said, getting right back to business.

This got Gine's attention. "Training?"

Tora leaned onto the table. "Yeah. We do train in-between missions. Can't let ourselves get rusty, even when we're resting. Besides, we need to see how you will work with us in a team environment. Better find out now how good you are instead of finding out in the middle of a fight."

"Most crews don't do that," Gine said, becoming more impressed by the small group.

"That's because most crews are incompetent morons," Bardock scoffed. "You're only as strong as your weakest link."

"And it's possible to be too strong for your own good," Tora stated. "I've known crews that got completely wiped out because some upstart hotshot had to showoff and got the entire team killed."

Fasha laughed. "Naturally, those are also the types that ends up having their own crews. But those are the elites for you."

Bardock and Gine took their seats and spent the rest of the afternoon talking.

Within an hour, Gine felt herself relaxing around them.

Out of the entire bunch, Bardock was the most high-strung and business like, despite also being somewhat lazy and uncaring. He only seemed to like to talk about fighting. The others had more personality, except for Borgos who didn't seemed to like to say more than five words at a time. She kept forgetting that he was even there.

Out of all of them, she liked Tora the most. He was definition the liveliest of the team; often cracking jokes, mostly at Bardock's expense. And Bardock actually showed a personality around Tora. The two have obviously known each other longer than the others.

"So, did Bardock give you the welcome treatment?" Fasha asked as the boys talked.

"Pardon?" Gine asked as she finished her ale.

"You know, when he attacks you and comes close to killing you," Fasha specified.

She nodded and rubbed her still sore stomach. She was certain it was going to bruised. "Yeah. He put me through the ringer."

"Yeah, he did the same thing to me. Nearly broke my neck and put me in the healing tank for two days," Fasha said. There was no anger in her voice. She actually sounded fond of the memory.

"That had to be around ten years ago, right? That's when this crew was formed," Gine observed.

Fasha nodded. "I was the last person to join. I was recruited about five years ago."

"Hard to believe that this team lasted so long given its...reputation," Gine said carefully.

Fasha leaned back into her chair. "Yeah, we've been through a lot. So many close calls and powerful enemies. There were times that I almost died." She smiled. "Wouldn't trade any of it for the world."

Gine into her empty glass. "So, it is true that you fight on the front lines with the other elite soldiers."

Fasha nodded. "Yeah. Despite our rank, we can get to the front lines because we take distress missions, otherwise we would be getting the scraps like everyone else. I bet your crew stayed within the inner sections, right."

"Yeah. I've only been to the front lines once. It was when the Frieza Force and us were taking down the Federal Alliance," Gine said.

"Oh yeah, I remember that entire mess. That was battle among battles," Fasha said with a warm smile. "Those guys put up one hell of a fight before going down. Too bad we can't fight foes like that more often. We were only allowed to come since they needed every soldier that they could get their hands on and couldn't be picky if you were a low class or not."

Gine chose not to say anything. The battle with the Federal Alliance may be a fond memory for Fasha, but it wasn't for her. She was scared half to death the entire time and she saw many good people slaughtered.

The sheer amount of death and destruction nearly drove her insane, especially the complete genocide of at least five races and the enslavement of dozens of others. She watched as her fellow Saiyans massacred children in front of their mothers and laughed gleefully as they did it. She could still hear their pleas, begging them to spare their kids in exchanged for their lives, while her comrades mocked them for being weak before killing them too.

It was in those moments that she wondered how they could call themselves a warrior race. How were they warriors when they murdered people who couldn't even fight back?

"Hey, are you okay?" Fasha asked, jolting Gine back to reality.

"Huh?" she asked dimly.

Fasha frowned. "You're trembling. And you look a little pale."

Gine attempted to stop her shaking. She was only half successful. "I...I was just remembering the excitement of that battle," she lied in her most controlled voice. "It's something that I will always remember."

Fasha stared at her. It was obvious that she didn't quite believe her, but didn't call her out on it, which Gine was grateful for.

"I need to get going," Gine excused herself as she stood up. "I guess I'll meet you guys at the training center."

"We meet at five. Don't be late," Bardock warned. "Otherwise, I'll have you flying lapses around this planet until you fall out of the sky."

She wasn't sure how serious he was being. Even for an elite, it took hours to fly around the planet. It was a big world, after all. Given her speed, it would take her days and that's if she didn't collapsed from exhaustion. Then again, Bardock didn't seem to be the type who would kid about something like this.

"Better listen to him," Tora spoke up as if reading her thoughts "Bardock doesn't exaggerate about stuff like that. He really will have you fly around the planet."

She paled when she heard that. "I'll...keep that in mind," she spoke softly as she made her way out of the now crowded bar.

It was probably best that she goes straight to bed. Something told her that she was in for a long day tomorrow. Especially since her new commander really was a nutcase.

* * *

 **We finally get some insight into Gine and how different she is compared to the other Saiyans. It is interesting to write her character since I want to portrayal her as a strong character, who is also physical weak and quite limited in a fight. Trying to walk that tightrope is tough. We also get more insight in Bardock and show he's more than just a battle loving meat head.**

 **To my Guest Review, thank you for you feedback, but I do have a slight correction. Gine wasn't captured by the enemy, she always got in trouble doing fighting and Bardock saved her. The pod situation will be explained once we reached that point in the story.**

 **With all that said, until next chapter.**


	4. Training

**Next chapter is ready for your reading pleasure. Thank you for your reviews, favorites, and follows. I promise this story will begin to really move and all the set-up is necessary for everything that will come in the future.**

 **Now, to the chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Training**

* * *

Gine made sure she was up early, even before the suns rose. Even without Bardock's threat, she wasn't one to be late. When you had people who hated you for even existing, you did everything within your power not to give them an excuse to hate you further. And she was usually good enough to moved people from hating her to at least tolerating her existence.

As she walked the streets, it was quiet. It was almost a ghost town if it wasn't for those Saiyans out cleaning the roads and heading to work at the meat factory and communication center. The running of daily operations on Vegeta was one of the few non-combatant jobs you could get, and there was a severe shortage within the work force since non-combatant and Saiyan was almost an oxymoron.

The streets were also empty since those Saiyans back from tour usually slept late. For many, this was the first time in years that they were allowed to sleep in peaceful without the worry of being killed. For others, they slept in because they party too hard the night before.

When she reached the training center she was hours early, which was fine. She wanted some alone time and get warm up.

She took several deep breaths and started to work on her training sets.

She was no warrior, but if she wanted to survive the front lines, basic defense was paramount. It only took one lapsed for ones' life to end in a gruesome fashion. She has seen it happened more than a few times.

"I'm surprised to see you here so early," a voice spoke, gaining her attention. "Your form is fine, but you need to work on staying aware of your surroundings. If I was an enemy, you would've been dead three times over."

She turned to see Bardock standing near the entrance, watching her intensely. How long he was he there? She was usually good at sensing people.

"It's ashamed. If you weren't a reject, you could make a fairly decent fighter. Such a waste," Bardock mused.

Gine turned away from him and went back to her sets. "Sorry to disappoint you."

There was a long silence.

"Tell me, if you hate fighting so much, why bother training?" Bardock asked.

"Because I want to survive," she answered, not stopping her drills. "I may hate fighting, but I hate dying a lot more."

Bardock chuckled. "I see. No wonder you managed to keep out of trouble for this long."

"I'm no a special case. Most rejects are like me. At least...the ones who are left," Gine stated. "We fight only to keep ourselves alive and keep our comrades from killing us. We know exactly where we stand in society."

Bardock hummed. "Seems I underestimated your kind."

Gine chose to ignore him.

She didn't care for how he treated her like a different species. She was still a Saiyan, regardless if she was a reject. Just because she didn't enjoy bathing in the blood of her enemy doesn't mean she was some kind of missing link.

"So, are they many like you?" Bardock suddenly asked.

Gine stopped her sets as she thought carefully how to answer him. The last thing she needed to do was to give someone away. "Not many. Most who are born like me usually die young or are lucky enough to be banished."

"Never heard banishment be described as a good thing," Bardock mused.

"You don't live my life," Gine stated in a cold voice as she went back to training.

That ended the conversation and she was allowed to practice in peace until the others arrived. They all were sober despite all the drinking they did last night. Not too surprising. A Saiyan had to drink a _lot_ to get smash. Even then, they could burn through a handover within a few hours.

"So, you guys managed to drag yourselves out of bed on time. There maybe hope you all yet," Bardock joked.

"Yeah well, there isn't much to do around here until we head back out," Shugesh said as he stretched his arms, several pops were heard.

"Well, you know the drill. Before we can get started, I need to get an official power reading from all of you," Bardock said.

This made Shugesh grinned as he looked towards Tora. "This time, I'm sure to beat you."

Tora returned the grin. "Huh, in your dreams. The only way you will surpass me is if I'll dead."

"Line up!" Bardock ordered.

Following their commander's ordered, they lined up shoulder-to-shoulder.

Bardock clicked on his scouter and began to scan them. "Fasha. Power level one-thousand."

"Not bad, Fasha," Tora said with a smile. "You're up by nearly four-hundred."

He scanned Borgos. "Power level, twenty-five hundred."

Borgos only grunted in response.

"Shugesh, power level twenty-nine hundred," Bardock stated as he went down the line.

Shugesh grinned. "Oh yeah, up by nearly a thousand."

"And last, but definitely least," Bardock smirked at Tora, who stuck his tongue at him. "Power level, thirty-two hundred."

Tora smirked. "Huh, not bad." He glanced at Shugesh and smirked. "Better luck next time."

Shugesh grunted. "I'll be sure to surpass you next time. So you better watch your back."

Tora laughed. "Yeah, keep dreaming. The only thing you will ever beat me in is an eating contest."

Gine was left speechless by the power levels she was hearing.

Why were they all so powerful? This was a group of lower class warriors, wasn't it? Tora should be classified as a medium class and Shugesh was only two hundred or so points short from being a medium class himself. The others weren't bad either. Fasha alone was almost as strong as the best low class Saiyan. None of these people were lower class warriors.

"Looks like we all become massively stronger," Tora said, once he finished teasing Shugesh.

Bardock smirked, obviously very proud of his crew. "Indeed. We've completely shattered our supposed 'maximum' potential."

"Bardock, you haven't rate yourself," Fasha pointed out.

Shugesh chuckled. "Yeah. Let's see how powerful our fearless leader has become."

"I'll do the honors," Tora said as he tapped on his scouter. It beeped several times. His eyes widened and let out a loud whistle when he got the results. "Wow, Bardock, you've really up your game."

Fasha looked towards her comrade. "Well, don't leave us in suspense. What is it?"

Tora put his hand down. "Bardock has a power level well over five-thousand."

Everyone was surprised to hear that, except for Borgos who gave no visible reaction.

"Over five-thousand? You're kidding!" Shugesh exclaimed in shock.

Gine was left shaking.

A power level of over five-thousand? The average elite Saiyan chosen by the king had power levels around five to six-thousand, or at least as far as rumors goes. If Bardock was really that high, he could actually become an elite if he gained the king's attention. He definitional met the threshold.

It was unheard of. She knew that a medium class Saiyan could become an elite since those were the ones who caught the king's attention. But a lower class Saiyan was lucky to be reclassified as a low class. She only knew of two who became medium class.

"Not surprising," Borgos suddenly spoke, startling her. She had forgotten that he was there again. "Bardock has been fighting and nearly getting himself killed in many battles. Naturally, he would become much stronger."

Tora snickered. "True. I can count on my hand how many battles Bardock actually walked away from."

Bardock glared at Tora.

"It will be hard for the higher ups to ignore such a high battle power," Fasha said before smiling at her commander. "Maybe you will finally be recognized."

"One can only hope," Bardock replied as he pressed something on his scouter. "Sending the power levels reports over now."

Tora did the same.

"Now, with all that out of the way, let's get to training," Bardock ordered.

For over three hours, they trained. Most were teamwork exercises made to strengthen their bonds and get Gine up to speed with everyone. In a crew, trust was essential. One wouldn't survive long if one couldn't trust the person next to them.

Despite Gine's misgivings, she was finding herself trusting the others to watch her back as Bardock mercilessly pelt them with energy blasts that could melt metal. So far, they didn't seem to know what she was, which was probably why they were even working with her. She had to keep watch if any of that changed.

"Watch yourself!" Tora warned as he knocked her out of the path of an incoming energy blast.

Shugesh charged Bardock and engaged him in combat. The bigger Saiyan put up a fierce fight, but Bardock was simply more skilled and strong. Within only a few seconds, he knocked Shugesh aside.

Fasha used that moment to attempt to kick Bardock in the head, but he easily evaded her.

"You have to use more stealth than that if you want to catch me off-guard," Bardock scolded as he viciously kicked Fasha in the stomach, knocking the air out of her.

"Move in now!" Tora ordered as he and Borgos rushed in.

Bardock was so focused on them that he missed Shugesh who suddenly kicked his legs from under him, causing him to stumble.

Within seconds, Tora and Borgos had Bardock subdued on the floor.

"Looks like we win this round," Tora teased as he sat on Bardock's chest.

Bardock grunted. "Looks like I was the one who was careless this time."

Gine wiped the sweat from her brow. "That was some nice teamwork."

"Of course it was," Fasha said. "We worked for years to harness our skills and know each other movements. I know what these guys are going to do even before they think about it and it's the same with me. We have to be this way if we want to survive."

Tora got off of Bardock's chest and helped his commander up. "Make no mistake, Gine, the only reason we became as strong as we are is because we helped each other."

Gine gave him a curious look.

"We were all born as lower class warriors. We had next to no fighting potential and were written off as worthless. Trash they called us," Tora stated. His voice dropped and he sounded almost bitter. "They bunch us together and expected us to die on the battlefield like cannon fodder. But...we refused to let ourselves be killed."

"By working together and keeping one another alive, it allowed us to become stronger and gain experience we could never have on our own," Fasha explained further. "Through our teamwork, we broke each other's individual barriers."

Gine was left speechless.

Despite Saiyans being put into crews and told to work together, individuality was king. 'True' Saiyans fought alone. A romantic notion that was nearly impossible in practice unless one was extremely powerful. Very few Saiyans could challenge an entire planet unless it was one of the frontier worlds. Only the king and some of the elites could play the lone Saiyan take over the planet card without being blasted to hell or even wiping out their teams.

"You must also remember that the enemy we fight will use any means to destroy us," Shugesh spoke. "They'll use every dirty trick in the book and more, especially those rats with those self-destruction techniques. We need one another to watch each other back just in case one of our prey gets the better of us."

Gine nodded in understanding. "Yeah. I know more than a few who got on the bad end of one of those. The most dangerous people are those who have nothing to lose."

Not that she could blame them. If there was no chance for victory and the enemy was going to kill you and your entire family regardless if you surrender, why not take as many of your murderers with you to Hell. Give them as much grief as possible so they would always remember you. That's what she would do if she were facing certain death.

"That's enough practice for today," Bardock said. "Same time tomorrow."

Everyone nodded as they began to file out of the room.

"Gine, stand behind," Bardock suddenly ordered.

Gine inwardly groaned, but kept an impartial expression.

Bardock waited until everyone left before addressing her. "I want to give you some private lessons."

This surprised her. "Why?"

"I want to be ensure that you're ready when we head back into the field," Bardock answered. "As I said before, you're only as strong as your weakest link. You're the weakest, so I need make sure you're at least capable."

Gine's eye twitched. "Why would you care? If I die in battle, you won't have to deal with my dead weight."

Bardock folded his arms. "True, but I know that's exactly what those guys want."

Her eyes widened in shock.

"Despite how I may look, I'm not dumb, nor am I naive," Bardock said, amused by her reaction. "Those monkeys at the top didn't send you to my team to pissed me off like I originally through. They did it so you will get killed since we're the team who are willingly take highly dangerous missions on the front lines. A softy like you will die on your first assignment."

Gine stared at him. He didn't have to say it _that_ bluntly. But...he was even more insightful than she thought. He's just full of surprises.

"Must be tough," he said with an air sympathy. "So many people want you dead because you're a reject. A relic from a past we all want to forget."

Gine turned her head. "As I asked before, why do you care? Rather I live or die is no concern of yours."

"Simple, I don't want you to die because if I do, I'll be given those guys what they want," Bardock said before grinning. "What better way to pissed those uppity elites off than keeping a reject they want dead alive." His grinned got bigger. "It'll drive them crazy."

Gine chuckled, but there was no humor behind it. "So, that's why. You're concern about me because you want to thumb your nose at the higher ups. I shouldn't have expected any less."

"Exactly," Bardock said.

Either he didn't hear her sarcasm or he didn't care. She bet it was the latter.

"I have mix feelings. Being kept alive just so my commander can stroke his own ego doesn't sit well with me," Gine stated before giving a deep sigh. "At the same time, if my commander having an oversize ego keeps me alive, who am I to criticize."

Bardock smirked when he heard that. "You maybe a softy, but you're a still a Saiyan at heart."

She almost wanted to say that she always been a Saiyan at heart regardless what others thought of her. A desire to massacre shouldn't be want made a Saiyan a Saiyan.

But she knew not to speak such things. Bardock may be a radical in his own way, but he was still very much a typical Saiyan. He lived for battle and bloodlust. The only real different between him and other Saiyans was his ambition. His desired to be more than what the tests told him he would be, while most Saiyans were content with whatever class they were placed in.

Rather she liked it or not, she had to stay on his good side. She may have scrapped by in small conflicts here and there on her other crews, but she would be eating alive on the front lines. It was only by a wing and a pray that she survived that one time at the front. She doubted she would get that lucky again.

She inwardly sighed in resignation.

"Let's get to work," Bardock ordered. "By the time I'm finished with you. I'll bump your power level to three-fifty."

It was going to be a long month.

* * *

Bardock nearly collapsed into his chair in exhaustion. He stretched his sore muscles as he took in his surroundings.

The apartment was small with only a bedroom and a living area, but that was common for a lower class fighter. One didn't need a lot of space when you were away for years at a time and was hardly home even when on the planet. It suited his needs.

And it was an upgrade from those crowded holes they used to live in when the Truffles still existed. Although he was born after the Truffle War ended, he saw their old living areas. He didn't see how the Saiyans could take living so closed to each other. Must have driven them crazy.

He closed his eyes and sighed.

It's been a long month, but it was almost over. By tomorrow morning, they would finally be heading off on their next assignment. It was about time, too. The boredom of this world was beginning to get to him. There was simply nothing to do here besides train and get drunk. He didn't see how some could spend their entire lives on the planet. If it was him, he would have killed himself years ago.

But he couldn't begrudge those who chose to stay on the planet. They were the ones who made sure everyone was feed by going out into the unforgiving wilderness to hunt and prepare food. Given how much they could eat, it couldn't be an easy job.

At the same time, it wasn't his problem. He was a warrior and a warrior needed to fight. He tended to become extreme cranky when he didn't fight for a long time. Training and sparring didn't count since he couldn't kill the person he was battling. Especially since he has been training Gine.

Bardock's eyes narrowed at the mentioned of that name.

Fighting Gine was like sparring with a kid. He had to always hold back to make sure he didn't accidently kill her. It's been a long time since had someone so...fragile on his crew. He was beginning to wonder if he could keep alive.

Gine had absolutely no talent for battle whatsoever. She didn't have the killing intent or cruelty needed to be a warrior. The only thing she was good for was acting as a distraction since she was hard to hit. Speed certainly wasn't one of her weaknesses. He had never met someone so physically weak, yet so fast that he could barely keep up.

He sighed again.

Maybe he could use her as a scout or someone to draw the enemy's attention from the rest of the crew. Putting her on the front lines with them would certainly led to her death. Either that or he had to stay away from high-risk missions and just do the trash jobs until she leaves.

Damn it all.

Not only did those stuck up higher-class monkeys refused to acknowledge the success of him and his crew, but they also stick them with a reject just so they could get her off their hands. If they despised the rejects so much, why force them into the army to begin with? They could do something more useful like staying on the planet to hunt, prepare food, or even worked in the medical field so they didn't have to depend on Frieza's doctors to patched them up.

Annoyingly Gine couldn't do those things, at least not yet. A Saiyan, unless under special exception, had to serve at least twenty-five years as part of the Saiyan Army before they could even considered retiring from the battlefield. And even then, you couldn't leave unless the commander said so.

Needless to say, very few Saiyans ever made it to retirement.

It was a stupid law since most Saiyans wouldn't retire even if given the option. Many like him planned to die on the battlefield, not stay put until they die of old age. What a lousy, disgusting way to go.

Gine, on the other hand, would be of great used if she remained on Planet Vegeta. They needed more Saiyans on the planet to keep up with the daily running, which was completely understaffed, and it was an utter waste to send people like Gine to their deaths.

…Well, there's no point in complaining. Gine only had to serve two more years and he would definition recommend her for retirement. He had no loved for rejects, but there was no point keeping dead weight longer than needed. It would also work as good, petty revenge against those elites.

Well, that was enough thinking about her.

He reached for his computer and checked on what their next assignment was. Hopefully it was a place with heavy fighting. With the Frieza Force rapidly expanding into new territories, even the supposed dead jobs have been interesting lately.

After several minutes of reading, he gave a wolfish grin. Looked like they would be seeing some heavy action soon. They've been assigned to purge Planet Cornera in the Delta Galaxy. That was about a three weeks' travel from here.

He heard that was a difficult region. Most of the inhabitants knew how to used energy attacks and were somewhat technically advance. They also knew that Frieza had his eye on them for quiet some time, so they would be prepared for an invasion.

Perfect. Finally some excitement. He didn't know how his crew got such an assignment, but he really didn't care. He just hoped Gine was ready for some heavy action.

He blinked.

Why the hell did his thoughts go back to Gine? He never cared if a new member got to see a lot of action on their first assignment. Sure, he hadn't had a new member in years, but that's hardly the point. Gine was a Saiyan. She could take care of herself.

He's been around her for too long. It seemed almost every other thought in his mind was about her lately. It was starting to get on his nerves.

He turned off his computer and decided to head for bed. They would be leaving in a few hours and even though they would be in suspending sleep throughout the trip, it wasn't the same as real sleep. He was going to enjoy his time sleeping in a real bed while he could.

* * *

Frieza stared out into the void of space through the glass window of his room. He sat comfortably in his hover chair as the soft hums of his space ship reached his ears. He barely paid attention to his underling who read out the latest reports on his ever-expanding empire.

"And we have recently taking Planet Tota. We are in the process of converting it into Planet Frieza No. 52."

Frieza hummed in disinterest.

"My lord, is something bothering you?" the soldier asked in his most humble voice. He knew he had to trend carefully otherwise he risked angering his lord. If he did that, he was as good as dead. To say that his lord's temper could be volatile at times was an understatement. Many men lost their lives just for walking in on his lord when he was in a particularly bad mood.

Frieza didn't speak.

The soldier mentally went back and forward about whether he should pressed the issue. If Lord Frieza was in deep thought, it was best to give his leave.

"I have been hearing some disturbing rumors lately," Frieza suddenly spoke, startling his underling.

"Rumors, sire?" the soldier questioned.

"There are rumors going around lately about a suppose prophecy. A prophecy that speaks of my demise and the fall of my empire," Frieza stated, not turning his eyes from the window.

"Sounds like a superstitious fairytale," the soldier answered, carefully trying to gauged his lord's response. "Something natives make up to give themselves hope since they know they will meet their end by your hand, my lord. A force such of yourself has no equal in the universe outside of your father."

"I would agree, but this feels...different. And even if these are falsehoods, I _despise_ that anyone would have the nerve to speak about my suppose demise," Frieza said as he turned his hover chair towards his underling. His normally cold red eyes were blazing with fury. "I want you to find the source of these rumors."

"Sire?" the soldier questioned.

"If the people spreading these lies are doing so to give hope to others, what better way to crush their spirits then by destroying the source of that hope," Frieza said before smiling. "We will make an example out of them."

The soldier returned the smile. "I see. Good forward thinking as usual, my lord. I will have our scouts on it immediately. We will make those fools regret ever uttering such blasphemy against you."

Frieza turned his hover chair away from his underling. "But enough about that. There is another pressing issue that needs to be dealt with. Namely, the Saiyans."

This got the soldier's attention. "The Saiyans, sir?"

"I have been getting reports that they have been becoming quite powerful lately. The one that stands out the most is the report from Planet Bean," Frieza stated.

"Ah, that fiasco," the soldier said in disgust. "We wouldn't have needed the Saiyans if our scouts hadn't so badly mucked up the intel. But they have been dealt with."

"That does not change the fact that a small group of Saiyans succeeded where the Frieza Force failed. That tells me one or two things. One, that the Frieza Force's standards have severely decline or two, the Saiyan's forces have grown so powerful that they rival those of my own army," Frieza said in a low voice.

The soldier hummed in thought. "It is possible that our standards have been slipping lately. We've been expanded so much over the last few years that we've been allowing almost anyone with even remote fighting talent to join our ranks. We can have Zarbon and Dodoria personally look into this matter."

"While you do that, keep your eyes on the Saiyans. They are not to be trusted," Frieza spoke in a deceitful calm voice.

The soldier thought carefully about what he was going to say. He was putting his life on the line for a bunch of monkeys, but he felt it needed to be spoken. "Sire, the Saiyans are hardly any danger to you and they have been serving us loyally for over two decades. Even if they did get it into their minds to rebel, you can wipe them out with wave of your finger."

Frieza stared at him from the side of his eye and he feared that his life would end at that very moment. "That maybe true, but it is always best to side with caution on such things. The Saiyans are a prideful and somewhat stupid species who dislike others given them orders, especially their king. But I suppose that is to be expected from them. At the end of the day, the Saiyans are still little more than overgrown monkeys." He turned his eyes back towards the window. "For their sake, however, I do hope they smarting up. Despite their shortcomings, they do have true fighting talent. Some of the best I have ever seen."

The soldier smirked. "And you always have a soft spot for talent, my lord."

Frieza laughed, somewhat lighting the mood. "I liked to think of myself as a collector of sorts. Being force to destroy such unique fighting talent is like being force to burn a one of a kind piece of art. Finding and harnessing truly great warriors in this universe is like finding a blue star. I want to avoid destroying such wonderful talent if possible."

"I understand completely, my lord," the soldier bowed. "I will make the necessary arrangements."

With that, he left the room, leaving his lord to his thoughts.

* * *

 **Our favorite tyrant finally makes his official appearance in the story. Did I ever mention that I love writing Frieza. There is just something about him that makes his dialog and thoughts fun to write. There is nothing like getting into the mind of a truly evil person and seeing how they tick. Outside of Frieza we also get some real development between Gine and Bardock. This has been the hardest part for me since I don't normally write romance and I am trying to make their progression feel natural.**

 **Next chapter, we get into some real action, so stay tune.**


	5. First Mission

**The latest chapter and ready for your reading enjoyment. Thank you all for your reviews, favorite, and follow. Glad to see so many enjoying the story so far, despite the relatively slow start.**

 **I would also want to take a moment to say that I am sorry for any reviews I didn't answer. There is something currently wrong with review system where I get emails about new reviews and my review count goes up, but the reviews are not showing on the story and I get an error message when I try to reply to my reviews. I sent a message to the site and haven't heard back and the error is still not fixed. I am not sure if this problem is just localized to me, but it is very annoying. If anyone else have this issue, please PM the site so this problem can be address. Until then, I will try to answer reviews at the end of the story as I have done in the past.**

 **Edit: And the review system is fixed before my story is put up. I will keep my review comments on the bottom on the page and go back to individual PMs for next chapter.**

 **With all that done, onward to the story.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: First Mission**

* * *

Bardock packed up his few belongings as he prepared to leave for his first mission in almost a month.

When you were on the front lines, one of the most important things you should always take with you was a sleeping bag and a lot of dry food. Sleeping on the ground of some unknown alien planet wasn't comfortable or healthy, and one never knew if food would be readily available.

Saiyans needed a _lot_ of food to function, which was why eating the natives of their conquest or even the falling bodies of the Frieza Force were standard practice during an invasion. If things got _really_ bad, cannibalism was accepted. It was all too easy for them to either starved to death or become so weak that they become easy pickings for their enemies. The dry food was far from appetizing, he personally thought it tasted like stale cardboard, but it filled the stomach for at least a day, carried a lot of nutrition, and could be carried on one's person.

He took one last looked around his apartment before locking up. It may be another four years before he saw this place again and he didn't want to leave anything important behind. Not that he had anything he deemed important.

Despite the high paying job of being a planet purger, almost all the money went to the Saiyan empire, which went to food import, armors, scouters, attack ball upgrades, and maintenance. The common soldier did get paid, but it was peanuts compared to the dangerous work they did.

That's fine by him. A true warrior had little need for money and he didn't do his job for the pay.

He walked until he was at the launching site, which was fairly empty given the time of day. There were only a few of Frieza's men in the area, who greeted Bardock upon his arrival.

Gine, unsurprisingly, was the first one there. She wasn't kidding when she said she was prompt. She put even him to shame.

"So, you're rearing to go on your first assignment with us?" Bardock asked his newest comrade.

Gine sighed. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

"You better be ready. I hate to think I wasted all my time training someone who dies on their first assignment," Bardock said in his usual crass manner.

Gine smirked. "Never short of words of encouragement. You're an inspiration, sir."

"I call them as I see them," Bardock replied.

It was another fifteen minutes before Fasha and Borgos arrived.

"Hey, Gine. Ready to head out?" Fasha greeted.

Gine smiled. "Yeah." She looked at Borgos. "Good morning."

Borgos grunted at her.

Fasha smiled. "Don't take it personally. He's actually quite shy, especially around those outside the crew. That's why he doesn't talk a lot."

Borgos glared at her. "You didn't need to tell her that."

Fasha patted his stomach. "Relax. We're all friends here. There's nothing to embarrass about"

Gine gave a small chuckled from the interaction.

"Made it just in time!" the voice of Shugesh yelled as he jogged towards the group. Once he reached the crew, he looked around. "Looks like Tora's late, again."

Bardock growled. "I swear, that bum will be late to his own funeral."

Fasha smirked. "Maybe he was with his lady last night."

Bardock turned towards her in surprise. "Tora is with someone?"

Fasha rolled her eyes. "Where have you been, Bardock? He's been seeing someone for over three weeks now."

Shugesh laughed. "Our great leader isn't one to care about others' personal lives. Especially since he doesn't have one himself."

This made Gine giggled.

Bardock snorted. He was actually quite embarrassed about not knowing about Tora's current business. "I don't care who's doing who. But he's making us fall behind."

"Relax, Bardock. Let him get his urges out of the way. It makes him a more effective fighter," Shugesh said with a huge grin.

Fasha nodded in agreement. "True. Nothing worst than a man who thinks with his other head."

It was at that moment that Tora made his appearance.

"You're late," Bardock scolded his old friend.

Tora smiled, not at all ashamed. "Sorry. It was a busy night."

"So I've been told," Bardock said, crossing his arms. "That doesn't excuse you for being late. Do it again and there _will_ be consequences."

Tora rolled his eyes. "Geez, relax. It isn't like the planet is going to move before we get there. Since we're the first strike force, the battle doesn't even start until we get there."

This got Gine's attention. "We're leading a strike team?"

"Better known as the suicide run," Shugesh stated with a grin. "It's the job that everyone, even elites, hate since they get to be the first to land on a new planet and find out how strong the natives are. The canary in the mine they call it."

"Typical work for lower class Saiyans who want to be on the front lines," Tora added. "If we go and get ourselves killed, they know to bring stronger troops."

Gine sighed. "Joy..."

"So, is there any timeframe on this particular job?" Fasha asked.

"No, but it shouldn't takes us too long to do. Even with us running behind. From the reports, the natives are strong, but not overwhelming so," Bardock glanced at Tora, "we should make it in time for the next full moon."

Gine winced when she heard those words.

Shugesh growled. "I hate fighting during the full moon. I can't remember a thing that happens."

"Can't say I'm a fan of the lost of control either," Fasha said, sounding very disappointed as well.

"I prefer no full moon," Borgos spoke. "I like fighting in my natural state and transforming makes things too easy."

Tora nodded. "Agree with all that. Just casually stomping on the enemy is just no fun."

"Stop complaining. Using our transform state isn't ideal, but it's fast and works to break the spirits of the people we're fighting," Bardock said as he walked towards his attack ball.

Fasha snickered as she went towards her own pod. "Well, seeing fifty feet apes walking towards you would put the fear of god into anyone. It certain did to the Truffles."

"Like you would know. That happened before you were even born," Tora pointed out as he opened his attack ball.

"Enough talking. We wasted enough time," Bardock ordered as he climbed inside his pod.

"Aye, aye, captain kill joy!" Shugesh mockingly saluted as the door to Bardock's pod closed.

Within a few minutes, he could hear the countdown from the tower and the briefing on the planet they were heading towards. They had to be on alert since there was a high chance of them being shot them by the enemy.

It would be messed up if they were defeated before they even touched down. They also had no real defense in space. As powerful as they were, even Saiyans needed to breath.

"Lift off in three, two, one... Launch!" the voice from the tower shouted.

They were off, their first mission as a six person crew. Within minutes of leaving Planet Vegeta's atmosphere, the ship's stasis mode activated. The last thing Bardock saw as he was forced into sleep was the emptiness of space and the promised of a great battle to come.

It felt like he just closed his eyes when an irritating beeping noise woke him up. It took him several seconds to realize what was happening. From his window, he could see what appeared to be laser fire heading right for them.

"We under attack!" Bardock shouted over his communicator, waking up anyone who was still asleep. "Evasive maneuvers!"

He pressed a button on his console so his pod could avoid the lasers that threatened to blast them out of space. It seemed someone gave the natives the head ups about their arrival. If they were this heavily armed before they even entered the planet, then the ground troops were going to be a nightmare.

Thankfully, the attack balls were ideal for these kinds of situations. The pods were small and mobile, making them nearly impossible to hit. This was why they were preferred over the bigger, multi-men spacecrafts. The biggest failing of the attack balls were that they couldn't actually attack despite their names.

"We're going to miss our landing zone!" Tora exclaimed over the radio.

"Spread out!" Bardock ordered. "We can't let them take us all out at once!"

"Got it!" Fasha shouted.

"You all better make it out alive!" Bardock ordered as he shut down the radio and steered his ship over the laser fire. Out of the side of his eye, he could see his crew spread out over the planet.

There was nothing he could do for them, except hope for their safety. There were strong, so they should be alright. Still, he couldn't help worrying about them.

What a way to start a mission.

* * *

Gine could feel her heart race through in her chest as she attempted to avoid all the lasers trying to shoot her down.

How did they know that they were coming? Did someone tipped them off? The people of this section knew Frieza was gunning for them, but they couldn't know when, could they?

Then again, it wouldn't be too surprising if there were a leak, given how vast Frieza's empire was. It was impossible to keep entail on everyone when an organization spanned over several galaxies. She also knew that some joined the Frieza Force to act as informants or spies, which was ridiculously easy now of days since the Frieza Force was shorthanded, and they tended to recruit anyone who knew how to throw an energy blast and skipped the background checks.

Frieza really needed to clean up his network. ...Like that would help her now.

Somehow, despite the vicious firing, she managed to steer her attack ball into a clear area within the planet.

From what she could see, it was twilight on the planet and she was flying over some type of forest. The trees stood out since the leaves were blue in color and seemed to shining in the dying light of the sun. It would have been a beautiful sight, if it weren't for the fact that she was about to crash.

She braced for impact and the entire pod shook violently as it slammed into the ground. It felt like it lasted for minutes, but as suddenly as it started, everything went still.

She took several fast, shallow breaths as she attempted to calm herself. Somehow, she'd survived. Gine leaned into her chair and took in what just happened as she attempted to calm her heart.

She almost died. She almost died and she didn't even make landfall. The brutality of the front lines were very different from the worked she did with her other squads. It was just like the Federal Alliance all over again. At this rate, she didn't think could live to retirement.

She quickly snapped herself to attention, banishing the morbid thought.

She couldn't stay here. There were enemies in all directions and they knew she was here. She needed to find the others or else she really would die.

Gine opened her pod and climbed out. She was unsteady on her feet and nearly tripped getting out. It took everything in her to steady her nerves as she pressed on her scouter.

There were several powerful people nearby. Power levels in the upwards one-thousands. Well above her league. This was really bad, especially if these people could suppress their power.

One good thing, though, they were fairly far away. Maybe her luck wasn't that crappy after all.

She activated the radio on her scouter. "This is Gine, can you read me? I repeat, this is Gine."

She prayed to whoever was listening that the crew made it out alive. If she was alone, she might as well hang it up.

"Gine, this is Fasha. Are you okay?"

Gine almost fainted in relief. "Yeah. I had a rough landed, but I made it out with no injures. Is everyone else okay?"

"I'm okay," the voice of Shugesh said over the radio. "Would have called sooner, but I had to take care of some natives."

"I made it out alive," Borgos spoke in his usual blunt manner. She could hear heavy fighting in the background.

"The only people missing are Bardock and Tora," Fasha noted.

"You don't think they've been shot down?" Gine asked.

"Nay, those two are too stubborn to die," Shugesh answered. "Either they're busy fighting or their scouters got damaged."

"Then, what should we do?" Gine asked, keeping a close eye on all the powerful reading she was detecting.

"Meet up at the original landing site," Fasha ordered. "That's our best bet with meeting up with the others. Gine, under no circumcisions are you to engage the enemy. The people here are way too strong for you."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Gine muttered.

"One of us would come to your position and help out, but you're kinda off the beaten track. It would be faster and safer for you to go to the original position," Shugesh said. "Just try to keep your head down and stay of trouble. Also, move only at night until you meet up with one of us."

"I should be able to handle that," Gine said, trying to convince herself.

"Okay, unless it's an emergency, we will have radio silence until we meet up," Fasha said. "The enemy maybe able to tap into our radio signals."

Gine felt her heart freeze. She didn't consider that and given that they were able to ambush them before they even got to the planet, it was definitely a possibility. Their situation was looking worse and worse.

"Stay alive, everyone," Fasha said.

"You too," Shugesh said with a note of concern. "I don't want to hear about any of you sissies dying out there."

"Keep safe," the gruff voice of Borgos spoke before the communicator shut off.

She was on her own.

She rubbed her forehead as the task before her hit her. Somehow, she had to survive on this world on her own until she met up with the rest of the crew. It seemed so impossible.

She sighed and cleared her head.

Well...she better get to it. No point standing here like a moron waiting to be killed.

She clicked on her scouter to find her position. According to the scouter, she was over one-hundred and sixty clicks away from the original landing site. If she flew, she would be there in less than an hour. But that was far too dangerous. Someone would see her, even if she flew high.

There was no way around it, she had to walk. Given that she had to use stealth, it could take her a day to reach her location. Not a pleasure thought.

Well, it wasn't like she had much of a choice. Staying within this forest and hiding wasn't an option. The natives knew these woods far better than her and would find her giving time. She could only hoped her far more powerful teammates would distract anyone from her position.

With her path set, she moved.

She made sure her scouter was on extra sensitive so it would alert her to any danger, no matter how small. She wasn't going to leave anything to chance. As far as she knew, a bunny on this planet could kill her.

For over two hours, she ran. Despite the distance she covered, she was still within the forest. She wasn't going to complain. The trees hid her movements. The longer she remained under the cover of the trees, the better her chances of survival. It was going to be extremely hard to conceal her movements once she reached the opened field.

Her scouter suddenly beeped. Someone was nearby!

"I think one of them landed near here," a voice in the distance called, causing Gine to freeze in place.

"If it is one of them, they aren't very strong," another voice spoke.

Gine cussed under her breath. Did these guys have scouter like devices, too? She was certain that little detail wasn't in the briefing. But why would it be? That would suggest the scouting party was competent.

She risked glancing at her scouter and saw that the people coming towards her had power levels between four to six hundred. Far below those she scanned earlier, but still too much for her.

Dammit! Was there anything on this planet that she could fight?

She jumped into the nearby trees and did everything she could to make her power small. Hopefully, their detection devices weren't too sensitive. If they were, she was screwed.

Through the ruffles of the brushes came several people. They looked almost like Saiyans, except they lacked tails and their hair color ranged from blue to red. Their ears were also more pointy and their had various eye colors.

"I swear I detected something a moment ago," one of them said, looking into the trees.

Gine held her breath as the person looked directly at her. Thankfully, the cover of darkness and the leaves hid her.

"Keep searching the trees. The Saiyans are a monkey-like race. They could be adapted to living in the trees," one of the native said.

Gine felt her anger rise when she heard that. If it was one thing that really ticked her off, it was being called or referred to as a monkey.

Yeah, Saiyans _were_ evolved from a type of monkey. Some even say that their Great Ape transformations were their original form before they gained intelligence. But they didn't like being called monkeys no more than any other species like being called their pre-evolution state.

There was also the matter that they were often referred to as monkeys by Frieza's men as a way of demeaning them. This was a particular sore spot for most Saiyans.

"I got a beep," one of the natives said.

Shit!

She allowed her anger to give her away.

"Up there!" one of them shouted and shot at her.

Gine had no choice but to jumped to keep the blast from frying her.

"There, kill it!" they shouted as they all opened fire on her.

Gine skillfully dodged the energy blasts and countered with one of her own.

It was useless to hit them with her energy. She knew she wasn't powerful enough to do any real harm to them, so she shot at their feet to distract them and give herself an opening to escape.

To her surprised, it actually worked and she bolted into deepest part of the forest.

She heard them following her and they were fast. Thankfully, despite the power difference, she was still faster than them. At the same time, she couldn't run forever. With the tracking devices they were using, they would just keep hunting her down until she wore herself out. When that happened, she was theirs.

Just as that through crossed her mind, an energy blast hit the back of her knees, bringing her down.

She grunted and attempted to shoot at her approaching attackers, but all her attacks were easily deflective. Soon, she was pinned to the ground.

"So, this is a Saiyan," one of the natives spat in her ears. "Doesn't looked like much."

"Ah look, it's a female," one of them mocked.

The biggest native, who appeared to be the leader, held an energy ball to her face. "Where are the others? There were six of you."

Gine glared defiantly at him, doing everything within her power to hide her fear. If she was going to die here, she was going to die with her pride intact. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing her scared.

The ball got bigger. "Talk, you stupid monkey!"

Her eye twitched, but kept her mouth shut.

The leader saw her reaction and grinned. "Oh, you don't like being called a monkey, do you? Well, that's exactly what your kind are, a bunch of stupid, vicious monkeys. You think you can just come to other people's worlds and murder us and we would just take it!?"

Gine lost her glare.

It was true. They were the invaders coming to wiped them all out and sell their planet to the highest bidder. She really couldn't blame them at all for hating her and her kind. She wasn't particularly proud of her race either.

"Well, how does it feel, monkey!?" The ball got bigger. It was the point it was only inches away from her nose. "How does it feel to be the one facing death? To be hunted? I will be doing the universe a favor by killing you right here!"

"Hey, calm down," one of the natives spoke. "We need her alive. She can tell us where the others are." The person talking glared down at her. "I think after some hours of torture, she will be more than willing to talk."

Gine sneered at them. A quick death she could take. But she wasn't prepared to be interrogated. Given the situation, self-destruction was a variable option. She couldn't afford to break.

"Looked no further, you scum!"

Before anyone could turn towards the source of the voice, one of the natives suddenly developed a giant hole in their chest.

The man gurgled in shock and pain before dropping dead.

His attacker ruthlessly pulled his hand from the man's chest, allowing his blood to drip onto the ground.

Gine looked up to see the all too familiar hairstyle of Bardock. Her heart burst in relief.

"What the..." The man never finished before Bardock blew his head off.

The other natives got over their shock and began to move.

It was all too late. Without even trying, Bardock wiped out the remaining natives with a single energy blast. Nothing remained of them.

Then, there was silence.

Gine attempted to catch her breath, telling herself that she was now safe. Yet, she couldn't stop herself from shivering.

"Are you okay?" Bardock asked.

Gine nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

Bardock gave her a look that almost seemed like concern. "They didn't do anything to you, did they?"

She quickly shook her head. "No... They were only able to threaten me before you arrived." She looked up at him. "How did you find me?"

"I recognized your power level on the scouter," Bardock stated. "Those guys were so concern with you that they completely failed to notice me. Their first and last mistake." He held out his hand.

It took her several seconds to realize that he was offering to help her up. She took the pre-offered hand and was soon back on her unsteady feet.

"Sorry for causing you so much trouble. I was unaware that they had scouters like us," Gine said, still trying to hide her trembling. Although, her voice sounded calmer than she expected.

"There're not really scouters. They don't track power levels. Instead, they find us base on our emotional state. The more aggressive we are, the easier it is for them to find us," Bardock explained.

Gine nodded. That was how they were able to find her when she got upset.

"I swear, Frieza's information network gets worse everyday," Bardock muttered. "First they get the information on the native's power levels wrong, _again_ , we get ambushed because someone is leaking information, and now they don't tell us that they have trackers." He snorted. "No wonder the Frieza Force regularly gets their butts kicked."

"Well, we all still alive... At least I think we all are. We lost communication with Tora," Gine said.

Bardock waved his hand. "He won't die easily and I doubt anyone on this rock has the power to kill him without it being detected on our scouters."

She turned towards Bardock. "Speaking of lost communication, was your scouter damage? We never heard from you once we landed."

"Yeah," he nodded, "it got damaged when I landed. Guess I should have bought the latest model." He tapped on it a few times. "I can barely get a power reading on it anymore and the radio is shot. Looks like sensing you was its last act before given the ghost," He took the scouter off and crushed it in his palm. "Nothing but junk now."

"I would call Fasha and the others to tell them what happened, but we're currently on radio silence. There's worry that the enemy could have access to our radio signal," Gine stated.

"Good advice. I trust nothing after they managed to ambush us," Bardock said. "I am also assuming that everyone will meet at the original landing site." Gine nodded, which made him smile. "Looks like those lazy bums have been listening to me. They're not completely hopeless."

She pressed on her scouter. "We are about one-hundred and forty clicks away from our destination."

Bardock folded his arms. "We could fly there, but it may be more practical to walk. I hate to get the nasty surprise that there is someone super strong on this rock." He looked at the sky. "The full moon should be here by tomorrow night, so we can just take our time and pick off any fool that tries to attack us."

Gine frowned. "Since they knew that we were coming, it should be assume that they also know about the full moon. Which means, they're going to try to kill us before that happens."

"Point taking. That's just means we have to be extra careful," Bardock said.

Gine sighed and rubbed her head. "You really are carefree."

Bardock chuckled. "Yeah, I've been called that a lot."

Gine stepped forward. "Since I'm the only one with a scouter, it's best that I led the way."

What she didn't want to add was that she wanted to avoid anymore combat. With Bardock's abnormally high power level, she was more than certain that nothing on this world could kill him, besides him doing something stupid, naturally. But she wanted to avoid killing any more people. At least until the full moon.

When she transformed, she would be a mindless beast and could removed herself mentally from this genocide.

"Then let's move out," Bardock said, all too eager to start fighting again.

Gine inwardly groaned. How did this stuff happen to her?

* * *

 **Bardock and Gine are alone together on their very first mission. I wonder how this will end.**

 **nancy103, thank you for your review. Gine is interesting to write. She is still a Saiyan in many ways, but she still a passive person. Her key focus is survival and doing what it takes to make sure she lives. Overall, she is caught in a really sad and complicated situation.**

 **SuperKaiokenGoku, thank you for your feedback. I always enjoyed pre- _Dragon Ball_ stories too and they are unfortunately far and few in-between. Most stories about Bardock tend to dump him in the _Dragon Ball Z_ and have him go in an adventure with Goku, which really doesn't interest me. What I really wanted was a story that blends the best of the Bardock story with _Minus_ , which was how this story was born. So far, I think it's going rather well.**

 **My Guest reviewer, thank you for your feedback. What you are referring to is _Episode of Bardock_ , a What If story that Toriyama has nothing to do with. I don't consider _Episode of Bardock_ part of this story since I really dislike the idea of Bardock being the original Legendary Super Saiyan for several reasons and I overall found the story to be really stupid. Not to say that other people can't enjoy it, I just have several issues with it.**

 **Also my Guest review from last week that I didn't reply too, and sorry if you are the same person from above, thank you for your review. It is very ironic since Bardock and Gine are two opposites that will be further exploded in this story. Getting them together will prove to be a real challenge. I do believe that Goku will be very conflicted with his father. Goku spent his entire life fighting people like his dad who enjoys the murders he committees. I actually don't think they would get along, at least from Goku's point-of-view. Bardock would probably feel a sense of pride since it was his son who beat Frieza and became a legendary warrior. He would get along well with his mom since she's similar to Gohan.**

 **With all that said, until next chapter, take care.**


	6. Conscience

**Here is the next chapter. Thank you all for your reviews, favorite, and follow. As always, your feedback helps me write a stronger and better story.**

 **Now, to the chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Conscience**

* * *

Their jog was strangely quiet. Despite Gine's constant scanning, she found no other hostile forces in the area. Although, she was still reading high power levels in the distance.

Well, high for _her_. Those powers would barely count as a warm-up for Bardock. She still couldn't believed that there was a Saiyan who was classified as a lower class warrior with a power level far above a medium class and could be ranked as an elite. It was little wonder this group could survive not only hard missions, but could also handle severe setbacks like this one. They really were amazing.

"Are you purposely avoiding danger or is this forest is just really empty?" Bardock asked, breaking the silence.

Gine glanced at him. "It seemed those scouts I ran into were the only ones in the immediate area. Makes sense given how isolated this place seems to be."

Bardock stared at her, obviously not believing her.

Gine really didn't care and turned her head away from him. Since she was the only one with a scouter, he had to trust her word. If he didn't like it, that was just too bad for him.

Although, when she thought about it, he never demanded her scouter. As the commander and the strongest in the group, it would be his right to have it. Instead, he chose to actively trust and follow her. So, there was that.

It seemed Bardock trusted her to get them to their destination, but knew she would avoid any fighting along the way. It obviously annoyed him, but he didn't have a hissy fit, something she was graceful for. There was nothing more irritating than a grown man acting like a child, especially a spoiled child.

"I wonder how long they knew about us coming here?" Gine wondered out loud.

"Who knows, but given that the entire planet's army wasn't on the ground waiting for us, it had to be somewhat short notice," Bardock theorized.

Gine frowned as disturbing thought crossed her mind. "What if...our arrival wasn't leaked by a spy?"

This got Bardock's attention.

"I've heard that many within the Frieza Force don't like us Saiyans. They see us as upstarts for taking missions that even the Frieza Force have trouble with, especially in recent years," Gine went on. "Maybe one of those people leaked our arrival."

"I wouldn't be surprise if that was the case," Bardock answered. "I could feel hostile eyes on us all the time that wasn't the enemy. Given how good we are, jealousy was bound to happen. They also put us on the front lines more often, no doubt because they see us as little more than glorified cannon fodder. In either case, we will never know if this was done purposely to get rid of us. The Frieza Force doesn't tend to look into botched missions that involve the Saiyans."

Gine sighed. "That's comforting."

"It's the price we pay for being the best," Bardock stated with a small, cocky smile. "If you don't have people aiming for your back, you're not working hard enough."

She held back a groaned. She supposed that was one way of looking at it. An assassination attempt would be a badge of honor for him, or any Saiyans for that matter.

Maybe the Saiyan higher ups knew about this sabotage and decided to assign her to this crew now. Spring the trap to see how strong the resistance was, and get rid of a useless warrior and an upstart crew as an added bonus.

But that's assuming they saw killing her and Bardock as _that_ important, which she doubted. Although they wouldn't cry if she were killed, they wouldn't go the extra mile to get rid of her in that way. She was nowhere near that important. And she was certain the same thing was true about Bardock and the others, despite Bardock's high opinion of himself.

She really needed to get these conspiracy theories out of her head.

There was a short silence as they kept running.

"Bardock, why do you want to be the best so much?" Gine asked. The question has been on her mind for some time and she didn't care for long silence, especially on a hostile world. "Given how powerful you already are, it seemed needless for you to want more strength. Is this all so you can become an elite?"

Bardock glanced at her. "What a silly question. I want to be the best, because I want to be the best. There's nothing complex about it. I don't like being second to anyone, whether it's my enemies or even my comrades." He smirked. "I _will_ become the greatest warrior of them all! The greatest warrior that has _ever_ existed!"

"Does that mean you will surpass King Vegeta?" Gine questioned in disbelief.

"If King Vegeta's is the mountain that needs to be climb to being the best, yes," Bardock answered without hesitation.

This made Gine chuckled. "Surpassing the King of the Saiyans, you're goals are even loftier than I imagine."

"If you don't have big dreams, then there's little point to living," Bardock said. "It's keeping your head stuck in the ground and accepting whatever life gives you that keeps other lower class Saiyans from raising to the top. My crew proves that one isn't limited to their birth or their suppose potential. With enough hard work and dedication, any barrier can be broken. Even the ones set by nature."

Gine was left speechless.

Here was a man that talked about hard work being the key to surpassing an elite. It all sounded ridiculous.

In Saiyan society, ones' position upon birth was set. Even those who rose to become medium class or even elites got there because they were born with a high battle potential. Everyone knew who was destined for greatness and who was born to be at the bottom. It was written into their genetics.

Bardock wasn't one of them.

Everyone truly believed that he was just some upstart who didn't know his place and would eventually crash and burn as his ambitions grew too big. The same as others like him who had forgotten their place and bought into their own hype.

Seeing how he was and how powerful he's already become, he wasn't all talk. No, she found herself actually believing that he could become the most powerful Saiyan next to the king. Perhaps...even surpassing him.

Was it all just a lot of hard work, or was some hidden talent involved with Bardock's growth? She didn't know much about fighting, but she's never seen hard work overcome natural talent. Even those at the top worked to maintain their gifts and didn't simply live off their birth power level. Those who did rely completely on their natural talent eventually found themselves upstaged by a hard working prodigy. She couldn't believed that Bardock could overcome someone who was both highly talented and trained unless he too had hidden gifts.

She shook her head.

That was simply impossible. All Saiyan children were tested, not once but twice. Once upon their births and again when they left the incubator. These tests measure not only a Saiyan's power level, but also their maximum battle potential. Those who had real talent would have been revealed in those tests.

But maybe...there was certain things that couldn't be tested.

"Bardock, when you say you wanted to be the strongest, does that includes the universe?" Gine asked.

"Naturally. I can't be the best if there are others stronger than me," Bardock answered without missing a beat.

"Does that include Frieza?" Gine questioned. "He is said to be the strongest in the universe. No one can touch him, not even the king. They say he's even stronger than a god."

"I'm sure most of the rumors about Frieza are overblown fairytales told by his men to scare people," Bardock replied dismissively. "He's powerful, no doubt about that, but he's hardly a god who can destroy worlds by twitching his eyebrow. He can be brought down just like any other mortal."

"And you think you can do it?" Gine asked.

"I don't care to overthrow him if that's what you're asking," Bardock said. "I just want to fight. I don't care about ruling anyone or taking over the universe, or any of that crap. King Vegeta and Frieza are more than welcomed to be emperors of the universe. I just want to be the strongest, nothing more, nothing less."

Gine stared at him for several seconds before chuckling. "Strange. You have such a big goal, yet you're so simple and desire little at the same time. You really are a strange man, Bardock."

Bardock snorted. "I'll take that as a compliment."

The rest of the jog was peaceful. It was almost to the point where she could almost forget that they were on a hostile planet. It helped that the planet itself was quite beautiful and lively. It was nothing like the barren and dry world of Vegeta.

Within an hour, they were finally out of the forest and running across the countryside. The grass was a shade of blue and pollen that glowed like moonlight fluttered past them. The temperature was pleasant and cool, also nothing like the oven hot rock they called home.

She could see why Frieza would prize this world. It had an untainted quality to it. It would sell for a huge profit. Hopefully, they could preserve much of its beauty once they take it over. It's going to be tough since they were going to take this world in their Great Ape forms. When they transformed, they tended to turn any world they're on into a crater of holes. Which was why the Frieza Force hated their transformed state. They took a world fast, but it also drove down the selling price.

She lowered her head at that thought.

Not only were they going to kill every single living being on this planet, but they were also going to taint such a naturally beautiful world with their bloodlust. It was all wrong. So wrong...

She was so lost in thought that she missed her scouter beeping. Before she knew it, Bardock had stopped.

"What are you doing?" she asked in annoyance.

Bardock glared at her. "Didn't you notice? There's a village down there."

She blinked as she stared down into an open valley that was only a few feet away from them. Below was a huge village that covered the entire valley. From the lights and the noise, it was crowded. How did she miss this? She must have really allowed her mind to wonder.

"We should keep going," Gine said, clearing her head. "We need to meet up with the others."

Bardock shook his head. "We should clean up here and get this much out of the way before the main attack. It will make things faster."

She paled. "No...that's not necessary..."

Bardock looked at her from the side of his eye. "Did you forget why we're here?"

This made Gine shut up.

"We are here to purge this planet. That means _everyone_ on this world must be killed. _Every_ last one of them," Bardock emphasized in a cold voice.

Gine shivered at his tone. "I know that, but..."

"If you're too weak to do your job, then just stay here," Bardock cut her off. He shook his head "I should've expected a reject like you to freeze when the time came. Your kind is so worthless."

Gine stiffened as he spoke those words. He was right. She despised it with her very being, but he was right.

They were here to kill. There was no getting around that fact. These people were already dead. They died the moment they successfully landed. Rather they did it now or when they transformed into Great Apes, she would kill these people. It was better to put them out of their misery now and not give them false hope about them living through this.

She clutched her hands. This was what being a Saiyan meant. It meant being a killer.

"No, I'll go," Gine whispered with resolved. "I'm a part of this crew and that means I'll fight by your side."

Bardock stared at her for several seconds. "You better not get in my way." As soon as he spoke those words, he flew into the village.

Gine sighed as she flew after him.

Within seconds, they began their assault.

Bardock ruthless shot at several buildings, lighting them ablaze. Gine did the same, although she unconsciously aimed for any area that didn't seem to be crowded or inhabitance.

"We're under attack! Under attack!" voice screamed below.

Bardock showed no mercy as he blasted an entire section of the village to pieces, causing screams of pain and death to reached her ears.

She attempted to block it out and kept firing onto the ground, but it was becoming increasing impossible as the smell of death overwhelmed her senses. She held back tears as she watched the village burn.

"Go down and hunt them. We don't want to do too much damage to the land!" Bardock ordered as he flew down.

She was afraid of that order, but she followed. It didn't take her long to find Bardock, engaging several people in battle.

They were no warriors. She knew that without even looking at her scouter. From the condition of their clothing and weapons, they were most likely farmers. They must've known that they couldn't win, but were determine to defend their homes and families to the very end.

"Well, this must be the welcoming committee," Bardock teased with a wide grin on his face. He looked almost demonic against the backdrop of the blazing village. His tail was loose and wagged impatiently, anticipating the kill.

One of the natives held out their unmaintained weapon. "Sta..stay back you monkey demon!"

This made Bardock laughed. "Monkey demon? That's a new one. I rather like it actually. I fitting name for us Saiyans."

The man shivered.

Bardock held out his hand. "In honor of that new nickname, I'll give you a quick death!" With that, he vaporized the entire group, not even leaving their bones behind. They didn't even have the chance to scream.

She turned away and almost ran from Bardock.

She was such a wimp. She should be used to this by now. Why should Bardock's behavior disturb her? Like all Saiyans who acted caring and understanding to their kinsmen, they were monsters on the battlefield. They showed no mercy and killed without remorse.

And why wouldn't they? All those who weren't Saiyans were beneath them. Their lives meant nothing and they were trash to be disposed of. The only thing of value was the planet, not the natives.

That was what all Saiyans were taught. Those lessons were drilled into her even before she knew she could even speak. It was a lesson that was taught to them along with how to fight and kill. All Saiyans were born and breed killers.

She felt herself retched. Damn her soft heart.

It was at moments like these that she wished she were born like the other Saiyans. That she was born with the ability to kill on a whim and take delight at causing carnage. It would make her life so much easier if she was like Bardock who came alive in the heat of battle. Who grinned and laughed at being called a demon.

But...how could anyone enjoyed this type of life? They called themselves warriors, yet they killed those who couldn't even fight back. They destroyed those weaker than them for supposed glory and pride.

There was no honor in this life. They were no warriors.

They were murderers. Mass, planetary murderers.

By the time she came out of her thoughts, she wasn't sure where she was. Dammit, she really needed to pay attention to her surrounding and stopped letting her mind wonder. She was going to get herself killed at the rate she was going.

"Mommy!"

Gine turned to the source of the scream and saw small child running towards their frightened mother. The woman embraced her child and stared at her with eyes like a frightened beast.

"Please," the woman whimpered, cuddling her child. "If you have any conscience at all within you, please spare my child. You can do what you want with me, but please, spare him. I beg of you." The woman bowed before her with tears running down her eyes.

She felt sick.

What should she do? Should she spare the child? Even if he did get away, he would be killed in the ensuring attack anyway. What would be the point of sparing this child now only for him to die few days later? It would be merciful to kill him now and spare him the sight of seeing giant apes destroyed his world. And even if he somehow survived that, he would be hunted down by them and the Frieza Force. There was no way this child was getting out of this alive.

Besides...they were the inferior species. She shouldn't care if they lived or died. It was their fault for being born weak. If they were strong, they wouldn't be dying now.

The woman continued to bow her head, still cuddling her child. "Have mercy."

She felt herself wavering despite her Saiyan instincts screaming at her.

Could she do it? Could she really kill them in cold-blood like this? Despite the logic of killing them now, she couldn't bring herself to raise her hand against them.

She had killed before. She had killed more then she could count, but all her kills have been in the heat of battle against people who could fight back and could kill her, or people she couldn't see. She never executed anyone. She never had anyone beg for their lives at her feet. It was the reason she was label a reject.

Her mind was reeling. What had these people done to deserved death? They weren't soldiers. They were simply people trying to live their lives. Why did they have to do this kind of work?

"Is there a ship you can take?" she found herself asking. "If there is, take it and leave this planet. Nothing can save this world from what's coming, but you can at least save yourselves."

The woman looked at her with tear filled eyes.

"Then go," Gine ordered harshly. "Run away and never look back."

The woman stared at her for a moment longer before she lifted her child and turned to leave.

Gine felt somewhat relieved that there were two lives she could at least spared. It wouldn't save her from Hell, but it was something. Something to help eased her conscience. Something that made her feel...

A giant blast knocked her out of her thoughts and she shot up to see the woman and child she spared disappeared in sphere of light. It was so quick, they didn't even cry in pain or surprised.

Gine stood completely still. Stunned by what just happened.

"You stupid, softhearted fool. You were actually willing to let them go," the cold voice of Bardock spoke from behind her.

She slowly turned towards her commander and glared at him. Her initial shock quickly gave way to utter rage. "You...you bastard...! Why? They were no threat to anyone! They could have left this world and been no danger to anyone! There's deaths were completely pointless!"

Bardock continued to glare at her, unmoved by her words and anger. "How naive. Do you really believe that they would just leave peacefully? Think about it. The moment they find help, they will report our position, putting both of our lives in danger."

She refused to back down. She kept glaring at her commander as her rage boiled over. "Even if they did, almost nothing on this planet can harm you. And you're a warrior! You should enjoy fighting powerful opponents and relish the idea of them finding us. Or, are your skills only for the weak and defenseless?"

Bardock closed the distance between them and, for a moment, she thought he was going to hit her. "I won't have anyone questioning me being a warrior, especially a worthless reject. I'll fight any opponent, whether they're weak or strong. I also didn't live this long by underestimating my enemy. When I fight an opponent, it will be on _my_ terms, not theirs."

Gine felt her heart beat faster. Normally, she would've back down by now, not wanting to anger her superior. But, she was too emotional to think straight. "They were _weak_. You didn't have to kill them."

"You're missing the point," Bardock said with heat. He was closed to yelling. "What if they did escape this planet? Do you really think that boy will go on to live a calm life on some far-off, frontier world?"

She winced at the question.

"Chances are that boy will grow up wanting revenge against those who destroyed his world and life. He will train, become strong, and then will return to kill you," Bardock stated in a low voice. "He won't care that you spared his life. He will always see you as one of the monsters who ruined his life. And, he will _always_ remember your face." He looked directly into her eyes. "The power of hatred is the most dangerous force in the universe. It can turn a mere bug, into an unstoppable monster if harness. If you don't put out the flames as soon as they start, it will eventually become a forest fire."

Gine took several deep breaths as Bardock's words sunk in.

He was right... He was completely right...

If that boy had lived, he would become an enemy of the Saiyans. He would grow up to hate them and want to destroyed every last one of them. Maybe they deserved it...but it was a betrayal of her teammates. This crew put their trust in her to watched their back and...she betrayed that trust to appeased her own guilty conscience. She had acted selfish.

She felt hot tears formed in her eyes and nothing she did could stopped them.

"Kill me..." she whispered.

This took Bardock off-guard, making him lose his anger.

"I'm a traitor to the crew. I disobeyed a direct order from my superior and put everyone at great risk," Gine whispered. Her tone was cold and dead. "I betrayed your trust. Death is the fate of all traitors."

Bardock stared at her. "I don't know what you are talking about."

She glared at him. "Don't play dumb! One of the exceptions for killing another Saiyans is treachery!"

"I know that," Bardock stated.

"Then what are you waiting for!?" she screamed.

"You feel sorry about what you did and you now understand the implications of your decision. That's good enough for me," Bardock replied as he turned his back on her and began to walk away.

This took Gine back. "I...I might do this again!"

"You won't," he answered simply. "You now understand the price of doing such stupid things. You maybe a softhearted reject, but you care about your comrades." He suddenly stopped. "This is your first time killing civilian, isn't it?"

She remained silence.

"Yeah, I thought so," Bardock said. "Killing in live battle is different from killing in cold-blood. I know some soldiers who avoid it all together."

She continued to stare at his back. Was this...compassion she was hearing?

"I pushed you too much. I shouldn't have made you come here, knowing what you are," Bardock said before sighing. "You can kill in battle, even if just barely, but not like this. I can respect that. It's impossible for anyone to go against their nature. Forcing you kill like this is like trying to force a dog with no teeth to leave a bite wound. It's just a set up to failure."

"Why...why do you even care?" Gine asked, not understanding why someone like Bardock was being so lenience. "This can't all be just to show up the elites?"

Bardock didn't answer for several seconds. "Go back to the top of the valley. I'll meet you there once I'm finished cleaning up here." With that, he took off into the air.

She was left speechless.

What just happened? Why didn't he kill her? Any other Saiyan wouldn't hesitate to take her head for the stunt she pulled, even without her insistence. What was going on?

She lowered her head and turned her eyes back towards where the mother and child once stood. Only smoking ashes remained of them and even that would eventually be blown away by the wind.

It didn't matter.

He was right about her not doing something like that again. Even if it did kill her inside, she wouldn't show mercy again. The lives of her comrades meant more to her than her fickle conscience. This was what it meant to be a Saiyan. She needed to start acting like one.

Hell awaited her no matter what she did with her life. No point pretending otherwise.

* * *

 **Well, this was a hard chapter to write, mostly because Bardock really comes off as a jerk for several reasons and it is never easy to write a genocide. But he does raise some good points about why it isn't good to spare people. I also hope Gine came off well since we see her struggle with what it means to be a Saiyan.**

 **Well, until next chapter.**


	7. Growing Fondness

**The next chapter is up and ready for your reading enjoyment. Sorry for not updating last week. I had other things on my mind and didn't feel like editing and rereading this chapter. Hopefully, it was worth the wait. As always, thank you for your reviews, favorites, and follows. Keep sending feedback since your input helps me write a stronger story.**

 **Now, onward to the chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Growing Fondness**

* * *

Bardock growled to himself as he flew away from Gine.

He didn't know what was wrong with him. Gine was right that her actions were an act of treason and it was well within his right to execute her, or at least severely punished her. And even if her actions weren't treasonous, he could easily write off her death as the enemy's doing and no one would question it, especially since she was a reject. Her death would be seen as a benefit to the Saiyan race since he would be purging a tainted bloodline.

But he couldn't...wouldn't do it.

As long as he had led a team, he has _never_ lost anyone. He took great pride that none of his comrades had died; despite the missions they tended to take. They weren't like every other crew who went through two to three members in less than a year, and by his pride he planned to keep it that way. No one dies on his watch whether by his hand or the enemies'.

And besides, he still refused to give those stuck-up elites what they wanted. They wanted her dead, so he would do everything within his power to make sure she lived until retirement. It was a petty kind of vengeance, but he really didn't care. Pissing up the elites was one of the few joys he found in life.

At the same time...those weren't his only reasons for sparing her.

Sticking it to the elites and keeping his pride intact were important, but he also felt a sense of...pity for her. Unless one was mentally prepared, it was extremely hard to kill in cold-blood, especially when dealing with those pleading for their lives. It took years to completely harden one's heart to it, even with the training they received in and out of the incubator. Although, he knew some who were naturally killers, who relished every kill they ever made.

Gine couldn't kill like that, no matter what was at stake or her orders. He should have known that and not guilt her into acting in a way that was against her disability. She was cursed with being born with a heart that could feel the pain of others. She was utterly unfit to be a warrior.

But why the hell did he care so much?

If he only cared about her as a way to boaster his pride, why did her mental wellbeing concern him? Why did he apologize for forcing her to do her job? He's never apologized to anyone or anything in his entire life. He spoke his mind and stuck to it, manners be damn.

He mentally growled.

That woman was confusing him. Maybe her softheartedness was contiguous or something. But that was just ridiculous. He never heard of a reject's mentality spreading to others like a virus.

Then, what was happening to him?

He rapidly shook his head. That didn't matters right now. He needed to finish wiping out this village. He's already wasted enough time. He couldn't let anyone escape to give warning. Not one person would leave this place alive.

It took less than fifteen minutes for him to finished clearing the remainder survivors. Although he couldn't be complete sure he got all of them since he didn't have a scouter and he really didn't want to ask Gine to scan the area for survivors. She's been through enough at the moment.

He knew he was taking a chance by not double-checking, but he decided that this was good enough for now. If any reinforcement came, he would just have to deal with it.

He flew to the top of the valley where Gine waited, looking lost in her own thoughts again. Her mind really did wonder too much. He needed to break her of that habit.

"We're finish here," Bardock announced as he landed next to her.

Gine nodded before activating her scouter. "No one escaped."

This took Bardock by surprised.

"I checked...no one is left in the village," Gine clarified. Her voice was completely emotionless. It was like the life had been sucked out of it. It was a little unnerving.

Bardock didn't care for this change. He knew that she was upset, but something this dramatic wasn't like her. It wasn't like her to sound so...defeated.

"Gine..." he started.

"We should get going. This smoke will get someone's attention," Gine said before running ahead of him.

He quickly followed, at a lost of what to do or say.

The trip was quiet, but it wasn't the peaceful silence they had before. There was a tension between them that was so thick that Bardock could physically feel it.

He kept trying to tell himself that it didn't matter. As long as Gine did her job and didn't spare anyone else, what happened in that village was in the past.

But he knew that wasn't true.

Gine went through a great trauma back there and he added to it. He killed people that she tried to spare. Whether it was careless or not, she acted with her heart. It wasn't all just to make herself feel better about what she was doing.

It was something he could respect.

Despite common belief, Saiyans were very passionate and acted on their emotions. When it came to matter of pride and conviction, he was certain that they were the most passionate race in the universe. There was more than few times where he acted recklessly because he got upset or let his ego get the better of him. It often ended with him in the healing tank and Tora teasing him. In Gine's case, in the heat of the moment, her emotions told her to pity those people.

"I don't blame you for what happened," Bardock spoke, growing sick of the silence.

Gine said nothing and kept her back towards him.

"You acted on your emotions," Bardock continued. "We've all done that at one point. I can't tell you how many times Shugesh got himself into trouble because he let his emotions cloud his judgment. Or Tora who went on a rampage when Fasha was hurt one time and nearly got all of us killed. It happens to the best of it."

She remained silent, which began to worry Bardock.

"But you guys didn't act on weakness," Gine suddenly spoke, startling Bardock. "I knew I should have killed them. My teachings were screaming at me to do it. But...I couldn't do it because I'm weak. …Just a worthless reject." Her voice was tight, like she was ready to cry.

"You can't helped how you are born," Bardock replied. "For as much grief I may give you for your being soft, I don't blame you for it. You were simply dealt a bad hand."

"Why was I even born?" Gine asked softly. "Why didn't my parents kill me when they knew I would be born like this? Why do I bother fighting to keep myself alive? I only slow my crew down. Even when I do leave the army, I have no future."

"What is this self-pity talk?" Bardock asked, now running next to her. "This isn't like you. You maybe softhearted, but you're not _this_ weak."

Gine bit her lips. "This is different from my other missions. With my other crews, I fought in the background with people trying to kill me. I had to fight or die. ...But I never attacked a settlement that couldn't fight back. Where the people before me were helpless... It's usually the opposite when I fought all out. I was the helpless one fighting to live." She lowered her eyes. "That's how I failed my test."

Bardock looked ahead, gathering his thoughts. He knew the test she was referring to. "There's really nothing I can tell you. I mean...I did hesitate for a second when I took the test. I even felt a little sick afterwards. But once I got through with it, I never looked back."

Gine looked at him. "You never felt any guilty for killing those who can't fight back?"

"No," he answered bluntly. "The way I see it and how I was taught, if you get killed in battle, you were simply too weak to live. If you never trained to defend yourself, you're prey and can't complained about your fate."

Gine stared at him.

"In this universe, only the strong survives. The weak serves as our prey to be hunted and make us stronger," Bardock stated. "If the weak had our power, they would hunt us just like we hunt them. That is the way the universe works."

"I know that...those words were drilled into my head, too," she whispered. "But I can't help pitying those weaker than us. That they have the right to life just like us." She paused. "That perhaps...the universe isn't as simple as the strong living and the weak dying."

"And you're thinking too much about it," Bardock reprimanded. "Who's weak or strong rules this universe. Look at Frieza. He controls an expanding empire because he's powerful. It's his right to rule over others since he's the strongest. That's just nature."

"Even us?" Gina questioned.

Bardock sighed. "Unfortunately... Frieza was able to annex us because we're weaker than him." He then smiled. "But that won't last forever. Eventually, we Saiyans will surpass him, just as we surpassed the Truffles. Then, we will take our rightful place ruling this universe."

"I didn't think you cared about such things," Gine said.

"I don't. I'm just stating a fact," Bardock replied. "The potential of us Saiyans are unlimited. In time, we will have no equal even among the gods. But, I don't personally care about ruling anything. I just want to fight. As long as I can do that, I don't care about Frieza."

Gine turned away from him. "As hard as I try, I can't make myself believe that. But I guess that's why I'm among weak."

"Perhaps...but if you lived this long, I can't see you as weak," Bardock stated.

It was strange. Who would ever thought that he would sympathize with a reject. By the laws of nature, she was the weakest link and should be cut off. Yet, he couldn't see her that way. Not anymore anyway.

Dammit. What was this woman doing to him?

They ran in silence for another hour before their stomachs finally got the best of them. They were able to find a lake that Gine confirmed was safe using her scouter and he caught a bunch of fish for their lunch.

They couldn't make a fire; it would give them away to the enemy. So, they used their energy to cook the fish. It wasn't ideal. Cooking like this usually led to burnt food, but there was no choice. Safety trumped a tasty meal.

Bardock was quite unhappy since he hated fish. He had falling out with them after a certain incident. But he couldn't protest since they haven't seen or smelled any animals on the planet to hunt. Did this rock have any wildlife? What a lousy world.

He supposed he could eat his rations, but those were only for emergencies and he was saving them for after he turned into a Great Ape. That transformation burned through a lot of energy and he would need something to eat after transforming.

"We should reach our destination by tonight if we keep up this pace," Gine said, finishing her fish.

"Just in time for the full moon. Hopefully, the others will be there," Bardock said, forcing himself to eat his fish. "I hate to delay our plans waiting for them. We've already suffered enough setbacks."

Gine stared at the grass. "I wonder if they're alright."

"I'm sure those bums are fine. They're not the sorts to get themselves killed. Knowing them, they're probably already at the meeting sight and are itching for action," Bardock assured while choking down his fish. "Hopefully, they won't go too far and give the meeting place away."

"I guess you're right. The highest power level I've scanned so far was around two-thousand," Gine said. "Nothing to the others, but Fasha will have problems. Though, she's smart enough not to give herself away."

"I'm certain they're more powerful buggers around here. That's why I wanted to come here on a full moon. Wipe as many of them out at our stronger and clean up the rest," Bardock stated.

Gine leaned into her arms. "Can you control your transform state?"

"Not really," Bardock answered. "I mean, I can remember everything I do, but I can't actually control myself. When I'm a Great Ape, it's like another person takes over my body and I'm just along for the ride."

She frowned. "That sounds terrible. I mean, I just blank out when I transform. I don't remember a thing. I can't imagine what it's like to be fully conscious, yet having no control of your own body."

"It sucks," Bardock stated with a note of frustration. "I hate every minute of it, but it can't be help. The Great Ape is just too convenience for jobs like these. And...I'm trying to learn to control my transformation."

"Only the elites and the king can do that. It takes a very specialize training regimen and years of painful work to gain even a little control of the Great Ape. At least, that's what I've been told," Gine said. She paused in thought. "I've even heard that some elites can create an artificial moon or something."

Bardock snorted. "I wouldn't be surprise. The elites always keep all the good stuff to themselves."

If all Saiyans could control their transformed state on top of being able to make their own moons, they would be invincible. He hasn't come across a species who could contend with the power of the Great Ape, even among the elites in the Frieza Force.

Which was why he wanted control as a Great Ape. If he could learn to tame the monster who took over his body, he would be one closer to his dream.

"We should be leaving soon. As nice as it is to camp, we can still run into scouts," he spoke after several seconds of silence.

Gine nodded, just as her scouter beeped. She turned head towards the readings.

"What is it?" Bardock asked.

"Several strong power levels are closed to our location. Both seems to be in the low thousands," Gine stated.

Bardock stood up. "Are they heading in our direction?"

She shook her head. "No...they appear to be stopped near here."

"There could be as base nearby," Bardock said as he stood up. "If there is, we need to destroy it. Too risky to have such dangerous enemies at our backs."

Gine trembled, but it was so subtle that Bardock almost missed it. "Understood."

She got up and ran towards the source of those power levels. Bardock covered her rear and kept his eyes opened for any approaching enemy. He knew that Gine would detect them before him, but old habits died hard.

Dammit. He felt so naked without his scouter. He didn't really realized until now how much he depended on those things. Not only was he cut off from his crew without it, but he couldn't even tell where the enemy was. It was frustrating. He wished there was a way to sense enemies without depending on such fickle devices.

Within minutes, they came across another village. This one was much bigger than the last one and from what Bardock could see, more fortified. This wasn't just some peaceful town in the middle of nowhere.

"There are some weaker powers down there, but I'm detecting many powerful fighters. At least one in the high two-thousand," Gine informed. "Most likely this was an ordinary village that became a base for the military."

Bardock nodded. "Makes sense."

There was a short pause.

"You're going down there, right?" Gine spoke in a soft voice. "Not only are strong fighters down there, but it's another village that needs to be wipe out."

"You don't have to come," Bardock replied. "In fact, I want you to stay here."

"But..." Gine started.

"I can't have you hesitating again. Unlike last time, there are people down there that are capable of killing you," Bardock interrupted. "I'll fight much better knowing that I don't have to keep an eye on you."

She lowered her head. "Yes...of course."

"It shouldn't take me too long if the strongest power level is only two-thousand," Bardock said with a smirk. "They should give me a decent exercise before tonight's main event."

Gine didn't smile at that. Instead she turned her head.

Bardock growled to himself. He said the wrong thing. "I'm going now," he said before he could cause further damaged.

As he left, he wondered why he cared so much about saying the wrong thing to her. He put his foot in his mouth numerous times and it never bothered him. He has never been the subtle type.

Now, he was trying to be delicate and mindful of Gine's feelings. What the hell was this girl doing to him? Maybe softheartedness really was contiguous. That's the only thing that would explained what was happening to him.

He quickly cleared his head. It was battle time. He had no time to think about her.

He zoomed down and landed in the middle the city, gaining everyone's attention.

"Hello, there," he greeted with a grin.

"What...?"

Before they could finish their sentence, Bardock blasted them, leaving nothing behind.

"It's a Saiyan!" someone screamed in realization.

Bardock showed no mercy and proceeded to kill everyone within the area. Some tried to escape with their kids, but they couldn't escaped him. Once he set his eyes on an enemy, they never escaped.

He smiled as he felt the adrenaline rushed through him, increasing his senses and reflexes.

These were the moments he lived for. In battle, there were no political questions, no elite or commoner, no innocents, no right or wrong, just the battle of strength and wit against an enemy. It was in these moments that he felt truly alive. That he existed only for the next battle.

There was also the large sense of pleasure he felt when he brought down his enemies. Hearing them give their last scream or whimper of life, hearing them shout in terror as they realized that their death was before them, it was a wonderful, intoxicating feeling. He pitied Gine being unable to experience this. Any Saiyan not born with their bloodlust was truly curse.

"There he is!"

Bardock looked up to see several people landing around him.

"So, you're one of the infamous Saiyans," one of them sneered as they clenched their fist. "Damn every last one of you! You'll pay for what you've done to our planet!"

Bardock smirked. "Oh, we haven't done anything, _yet_. You all, after all, are still alive."

"Die!" one of the screamed as they attempted to blast him.

Bardock dodged the sloppy attack, but was taking off-guard when one of them rammed him from the side.

Clever. The blast was just a distraction. He underestimated them.

He kicked his assailant away and was nearly hit again by someone's kick. One of his attackers managed to successfully hit his back, sending him reeling forward.

These guys were good. They were much higher than a mere two-thousand. If he had to guess, given the amount of damage they were doing to him, he would put them around three to four thousand at least.

That was extremely unexpected. What were the chances of finding guys like these in the middle of nowhere?

Although a better question was, how did Gine miss them? She claimed that the highest power levels in the area were only around two-thousand. Either Gine lied, which he found highly unlikely, or these were the type who could suppress their energy. What a pain in the ass.

Well, it didn't matter. It was what it was. Besides, it's about time he had someone challenged him. Killing the helpless was only fun for so long.

He got more serious and charged the one he suspected was the weakest of the group given their fighting style. Better to start trimming their numbers.

Before the guy could reaction, Bardock mercilessly slammed his fist through his chest, impaling him on his arm.

The others were stunned and disgusted by the sight, but charged Bardock regardless.

Bardock smiled. True warriors. They didn't let the death of a comrade slowed them down.

They shot at him, but Bardock used his enemy's corpse as a shield as he fired back.

This seemed to really piss one of them off and they attempted to blindside Bardock.

Bardock reacted by throwing the corpse at his assailant, causing him to catch it instead of dodging. The lapse of judgment gave Bardock the opening he needed to release a powerful energy wave, utterly destroying the corpse and his enemy.

"Compassion for the dead won't serve you well," Bardock mocked as he looked at his other attackers.

"Damn you," one of them growled.

Bardock smirked.

Good, he was finally getting under their skin. An enemy that became emotional was easier to defeat.

An explosive in the distance got his attention.

He glanced in the direction. Why were they attacking over there? Surly, they should have detected his fight and come here. So why...

A suddenly pang of panic hit him. That was where Gine was!

Without thinking, he took off into the air.

He didn't get far before he was cut off by his remaining attackers.

"Going somewhere, Saiyan?" one of them asked sarcastically. "Are you concern for your teammate over there?" They smiled when they saw the surprised on Bardock's face. "We know about them. Our troops are taking care of them now."

"Get out of my way!" Bardock shouted as he attempted to shoot them.

He was kicked on the side, nearly sending him falling out of the sky.

"Compassion doesn't serves you, Saiyan," one of them teased, throwing his own words back at him.

Bardock growled. He was going to make them pay.

He raised his energy, which took his assailants off guard. Before they could react to this change, Bardock seemingly disappeared and reappeared behind one of his enemies. Without wasting a second, he gave a powerful chop to their neck, shattering it on the spot. The body winced once before falling lifelessly to the ground.

The others gave a battle yelled as they rushed to avenge their falling comrades.

For next several minutes, Bardock fought against them. Because he was so concern about Gine, he wasn't fighting at his best and was extremely reckless. He could see the firing in the distance and knew Gine couldn't last long against such an assault.

Every time he dropped his guard, he was punished for it. Bits of his armor were destroyed and he was bleeding from several places. Stuff that wouldn't have happened if he was paying closer attention.

Still, despite being distracted, he did eventually take down his enemies.

The last one standing, who was obviously the strongest of the bunch, took some time. He alone fought with the rage of an entire army.

"On my life, I won't let you demons destroy my world!" he screamed as he punched Bardock across the face, causing him reeling back.

Bardock sneered at the man. "That's a battle you've already lost. Nothing can save you or your species. So, why don't you die quietly!?" He thrust his arm forward and released his most powerful energy wave point-blank in the guy's face.

There was no time for him to dodge and within seconds, he was without a head. The headless body dropped to the ground, leaving a giant crater in its wake.

Bardock breathed heavily as he attempted to catch his breath. He cussed to himself. Despite their skills, they wouldn't have done so much damaged if he was focused.

Speaking of which...

"Gine," he whispered as he flew towards her location.

There were still blasts of energy, telling him that she was still alive. He had to give her credit for lasting this long.

When he reached the fighting, he saw Gine bleeding heavily from several places and she appeared to be limping. Still, it seemed like she was able to take down at least two fighters, seeing the bodies on the ground.

Without a word, he flew forward and shot at one of her assailants, putting a hole clean through their chest.

"Dammit, the other one is here!" one of them shouted.

Bardock could tell just by looking that they were small pickings. They had to be since Gine was able to last against them for any amount of time.

It didn't take long for him to wipe them. Some tried to retreat, but they didn't escaped. By the end, the area was clear.

"Bardock! Are you okay!?" Gine shouted from the ground.

Bardock floated down and nearly collapsed on his feet. "Never better."

She frowned. "You're hurt."

"No more than you," he said with a note of concern as he scanned her body.

Gine lowered her head. "It isn't too bad. Nothing broken, but I did sprain my ankle during the fight." She turned away from him. "I'm sorry you had to save me again. I'm just completely useless here."

"It's nothing. Besides, I was the one who was careless this time," Bardock said. "I got too ambitious attacking another village so soon after the last. Especially a village that had high power levels."

"I don't get it. My scouter didn't detect such high powers here," Gine said more to herself as she touched her scouter. "It wasn't until you started your attack that suddenly power levels of over four thousand started popping up out of nowhere. I tried to fly down and warn you, but I ended up given myself away."

He nodded. "It appears some on this planet can hide their battle power. That's why I tried to warn you about depending on your scouter too much."

"Lesson learn," Gine said before her scouter beeped. "There're reinforcement coming. We need to hide."

Bardock growled under his breath. He hated the idea of running with his tail tucked between his legs, but he knew it couldn't be helped. He took much damaged during that last fight and Gine was also hurt. It was better to retreat and stay low until they reunite with the rest of the crew.

"I saw some woodlands near here. We can used that for shelter," Gine attempted to walk, but nearly fell over. She grunted and tried again.

Without a word, Bardock grabbed her and carried her piggyback.

"Bardock..." she started to protest.

"You can't walk like that and it's too dangerous to fly," he said simply as he ran to the woodlands.

She put her head into the back of his neck. "Thank you."

He felt a surged of warmth spread throughout his body when she put her head against him. It was like the more he stood around her, the more he changed. Was he actually beginning to develop feelings that weren't those of a Saiyan? He's really starting to hate what she was doing to him.

Well...he thought he hated it. It was actually kind of...pleasant.

Dammit, he wanted this mission to be done with so he could get away from her. Once that happened, things would be normal again. He couldn't let this girl's softness affect him anymore.

* * *

 **Bardock is growing closer to Gine, rather he likes it or not. Hopefully nothing feels forced and everything is developing naturally. Until next chapter, take care.**


	8. Full Moon

**Sorry again for the late chapter. I was so busy with other activities last weeks that I didn't feel like editing this chapter. Thanks for your patience, and as always, thank you for your reviews, favorites, and follows. Your feedback helps me to create a stronger story.**

 **Now, to the chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Full Moon**

* * *

It only took him a few minutes to reached the woodlands. He reached the area just in time since he could now visually see their pursuers. He wasn't too worried. As long as they kept their aggression down, they wouldn't be able to track them with their devices.

Gine groaned as she rubbed her swollen ankle. "Dammit. I won't be able to walk on this." She reached into her armor and pulled out a flat, metallic circler container. She twisted the top opened and Bardock could smell what appeared to be an ointment.

"Medical gel," Bardock observed.

"I always carry it. Never know when you will need on the field medical attention," Gine answered as she applied a generous amount of gel to her swollen ankle and other wounds.

Bardock watched in silence.

Gine took noticed of his stare. "Don't you have any?"

Bardock shook his head. "I didn't bring any."

She frowned. "That's shortsighted of you. I thought you of all people would know to bring gel. I mean, being on the frontline all the time, you must have gotten injured a lot."

"I can weather minor injures like these. Besides, that gel is useless on big injures," Bardock stated.

"True, but you should still keep some. Most deaths on the field are caused by secondary infection from untreated wounds. Even the strongest warrior can be brought down by sickness, even us Saiyans," Gine said as she finished treating her own injures. She then turned towards Bardock. "Well, come over here."

Bardock blinked.

"Let me apply this gel to you wounds. I have plenty," Gine offered.

He shook his head. "I don't need any."

"Didn't you hear a word I said? Those injures maybe nothing now, but they will make you sick if that get infested," Gine scolded.

Bardock turned his head.

She rolled her eyes. "You're such a baby," she said as she stood up and limped over to Bardock.

Before he could protest, she put some gel on one of his wounds on his arms, causing him to wince.

"That stings," he protested.

"Really? You can take being shot at and wounded, but you whine like a little boy because some medicine sting?" Gine mused, ignoring his winces as she applied more gel to his injured body.

"I don't feel pain when I'm in the heat of battle," Bardock complained.

"Still can't hurt no more than this," Gine said as she finished taking care of his injures. "There. All over."

He growled under his breath.

He actually didn't mind as much as he complained. In fact, it felt kinda nice being touched by Gine. Her touch was so warm and soft, not cold and indifferent like the doctors who cared for him after he got hurt.

He shook his head. Why was he even thinking that?

Gine groaned as she put too much pressure on her ankle. "The swollen is going down. Maybe in an hour I can at least walk."

"Don't bother," Bardock said. "I can carry you."

"But you will leave yourself open," Gine protested.

"I'll be fine. Besides, I can beat the wimps on this rock without using my hands," he bragged with a huge grin.

Gine frowned at him. "Don't overestimate yourself. We were both nearly killed because we got arrogance. Fools are rarely granted a second chance."

"That won't happen again since I know more about what the enemy is capable of," he assured. "Besides, we need to reach the meeting place by tonight. We can't do that if you have to hobble the rest of the way."

Gine winced at that, but knew he was right. Regardless of her pride, reaching the meeting place was more important.

"How much further?" Bardock asked.

She clicked on her scouter. "Only another fifty clicks."

He nodded. "So, if I run at a decent speed, we should make it just on time."

"But if you go too fast, they will be able to track us," Gine pointed out.

"So, I just have to be carefully," he said almost dismissively.

She sighed. "Nothing bothers you, does it?"

"I learned a long time ago that bugging about the small details will only slow you down," Bardock answered as he stretched his arms. "If you're done caring for yourself, we should get going."

Gine put a way her medical gel. As soon as she did, Bardock grabbed her and hoisted her onto his back.

"Hang on tight. If you fall, I'm not coming back to get you," he warned.

She only nodded, knowing that he wasn't joking.

Without another word, they were off.

Bardock attempted to balance running at his maximum speed and keeping his aggression down so the enemy couldn't track their movements. It wasn't too hard. He just mentally thought that he was on his morning jog around Planet Vegeta's capital, something he did a lot when he was young.

Still, as fast he could run, flying would be faster. At the very least, the countryside was nice to look at, if not on the empty side. Well, that was fine since it meant they would destroy less of the planet and wouldn't bring down the overall price.

"Be careful," Gine suddenly warned. "I'm detecting several powers near us."

"Not a problem," Bardock answered, increasing his speed.

Throughout the rest of the day, they ran without any trouble. It was closed to sunset when they finally reached the original landing point.

"I'm picking up several high power levels," Gine said before she broke into a smile. "It must be the others. I'm certain one of them is Tora, too."

Bardock grinned. "What did I tell you? Those bums are too stubborn to die. The planet exploding wouldn't kill that lot."

From the distance he could see Tora, Fasha, Borgos, and Shugesh standing by. From what he could see, they all had various degrees of injures except for Tora, who was the only one missing their scouter. None of them appeared badly hurt, however.

"Oh, it's Gine and Bardock," Fasha said before giving a loud sigh. "Thank goodness they were able to find each other."

"Yeah, I didn't think Gine would make it on her own out there," Shugesh noted with equal relief.

Bardock stopped in front of his crew and gently put Gine down. "Well, glad to see you slackers made it. I would have to talk about you if you went and got yourselves killed."

Tora laughed. "Don't underestimate us. It will take more than the rats on this world to take us down."

"Are you guys alright?" Shugesh asked as he looked over Bardock and Gine. "Looks like the natives gave you some trouble."

"We ran into some tougher than normal insects. But it was nothing I couldn't handle," Bardock assured.

Gine limped over to Tora. "Are you alright? We couldn't contact you at all."

Tora folded his arms. "Yeah. My scouter was damaged along with my pod. I'll doubt it will fly again."

"How do you plan to leave?" Gine asked with concern.

Tora sighed. "I'll have to ask for a new one from the Frieza Force. I hate asking those guys for anything, especially since they will take it out of my pay."

"You should be thankfully you didn't die," Borgos spoke up. "If your pod tore apart in space, it would've been the end of you."

"Blunt as always, Borgos," Tora humored. "At times like these, I wish we were adapted to survive in space."

"But enough about us, what about you, Gine?" Shugesh asked. He looked down at her ankle. "You're hurt pretty badly."

"Just a sprain. Nothing an hour or two in the tank can't fix," Gine assured.

"Will you be okay to fight?" Fasha questioned.

Gine nodded. "I think even my Great Ape form will know to stay back with this injury."

Fasha hummed. "I suppose."

"Speaking of which, it's almost time," Tora said, looking at the rapidly dimming sky.

"Luckily for us, they don't appear to know that we're meeting here," Bardock said. "Some good luck since these guys were ahead of us until now."

Shugesh grinned. "Now it's our turn to get some payback."

"Hopefully, we will have this planet done by the end of the night. I've already have my fill of this world," Bardock said. He smiled as he saw the full moon loomed over them.

He looked directly it, taking in that the moon of this world was purple and filled almost a third of the sky. It was fitting that a uniquely pretty sight was the beginning of the end for these poor fools.

Those were his last clear thoughts as he felt his body pulse and energy rushed through him like a wave.

Despite all the times he transformed, it was still painful. He felt his muscles ache from the stressed as he began to grew rapidly to titanic size. He could also feel his hearing greatly increased along with his sense of sight and smell.

More than anything, he felt the monster within him take over. And within seconds, he was a passenger in his own body.

He felt a loud roar ripped through his throat, shaking the ground and causing the earth to rip beneath him. He could also hear the roars of his crew as they finished their own transformations.

On instinct, he moved. With the senses of the Great Ape, they could smell and hear any signs of life. There was nowhere for anyone could hide.

It didn't take them long to reached the first major city they've seen since they came to this world. The landing sight was purposely choosing for this reason.

There were screams, and many cries of panic and fear. They didn't scream long before he vaporized them with a large energy blast from his mouth.

He could hear his other teammates doing their job. From the corner of his eye, he saw Tora destroying a portion of the city with one well-placed mouth blast.

He could also see Gine, who acted nothing like herself, smashing buildings and stomping on the natives. Instead of the softhearted, gentle woman he got to know, she was a coldblooded killer. She roared as she shrug off energy blasts and smashed her fists into the ground, causing huge earthquakes.

Despite her increased strength and durability, she was still the most vulnerable team member. Her power level was only in the three thousands and some of the more powerful fighters on this world was almost twice that. Her bigger body made her more immune to damage, but she could still be easily killed if she wasn't careful. Which was nearly impossible since the Great Ape was naturally careless.

He would keep an eye on her, but he had no control. The Great Ape only cared about destruction. It wouldn't stopped to help an endanger comrade. It was the curse of this type of transformation, along with the lost of control.

After several hours, the night was going smoothly. He personally eliminated at least three cities and was heading towards his forth. The other had spread out across the planet to do the maximum amount of damage while the moon was still out.

Thankfully, this world had long nights. It will be hours before the moon went down. By that time, only the insect on this planet should still be alive.

From the distance, he heard what sounded like a distress roar. Despite never hearing it before, he instantly knew it was Gine. Dammit, looked like she ran into those stronger fighters. He should have figured with her luck.

He willed himself to turn around, but the monster kept heading in the opposite direction.

 _Go the other way, you stupid beast!_

He mentally screamed. The monster ignored him and kept heading towards the nearest settlement.

 _I said go back!_

Still no changed in his direction and Gine's roars were becoming more frantic and violent. Despite the power of their transformation, even a Great Ape had its limits. Gine maybe able to handle herself...but he wasn't willing to take that chance. Especially since she was injured already.

 _Listen, you stupid beast! I say go in that direction! NOW!_

Suddenly, he stopped moving.

This shocked him. Could it be?

Without his thoughts, he began to move towards the sounds of Gine's roars.

He couldn't believe it. He was actually able to gain some measure of control of his Great Ape form. That has _never_ happened before. The beast never listened to him.

Then again...he never had a reason to make it obey him. Despite his distasted for the Great Ape form at times, they both had the same goal. Eliminate all life. It was pure and simple. As long as the Great Ape did its job, he had no complaints and was willing to allow it to have its way.

Until this moment, he had no reason to exert control over it, other than his pride. To think, it would be a woman and a reject of all things that would force him to gained control.

What was that woman? And why the hell did he even care? Was this all about his pride? What exactly was she doing to him?

It didn't take him long to find Gine. She was fighting off what appeared to be a small army. She was hurt, but was still holding her own. She was swatting at people flying around her, shooting her at every opening.

Another thing he hated about the Great Ape. No fighting style. Just an animal swinging around with no grace at all. The true power of a Great Ape truly came when it was merged with the style and skill of a trained warrior.

He still remembered years ago seeing an elite who had mastered their Great Ape form. It was a sight to behold. To have all the power of their transformed state along with the control they had in their normal form. That elite single-handily destroyed an entire planet, while they took an entire team to do the same thing.

He really envied the elites. Why couldn't they get such training?

He gave a loud roar as he charged the pests who were bothering Gine.

"Shit, there's another one!" He heard one of the natives screamed with his enhanced hearing.

He didn't last long before he crushed the offender underfoot.

They shot at him, but he couldn't even feel their blasts. He knew that would be the case. In his Great Ape form, there wasn't a thing on this rock stronger than him. Not even close.

Between him and Gine, they made relatively short work of their attackers. Those who were smart retreated. It made little different, however, since the monster within chose to chase them down along with Gine. Whenever some poor fool attacked Gine, he countered, eliminating all in their path.

To his surprised again, the monster stuck closed to Gine throughout the rest of the night. Wherever Gine went, he followed. This was _definitely_ different. The Great Ape took to no one. It only tolerated the existence of one of its own, never actively helping or protecting anyone.

It felt like it took forever before the moon finally set. Transforming into a Great Ape was somewhat painfully, but turning back to normal always hurts more, especially after a long night of hunting. He was always sore for days and often needed to take a trip to the healing tank to feel better.

As he returned to his normal size, he took several minutes to enjoy being in control of his own body again and that stupid beast was gone. He checked for any damages and wasn't surprised to find any new injures. Although his armor was singed in several places and he would need a replacement after this mission. No big deal, he needed a new set of armor anyway. The model was wearing was badly outdated. Maybe he should finally give in and spend the money for some decent battle armor.

"Argg, what happened?" Gine asked as he came back to herself. She collapsed and it was clear that she couldn't stand at the moment because of her exhaustion and her still sore ankle.

"We had a busy night," Bardock answered as he stretched his arms.

Gine frowned as she looked over the destruction they caused.

All around them, the landscaped was in ruined. Craters filled the ground and smoke could be seen in all directions. The once lovely landscape wasn't so lovely anymore.

"We…destroyed this world," Gine whispered.

Bardock looked around. "I think that's a strong word. We did do more damaged than I would have liked, but it couldn't be helped. Once we transformed, it's out of our hands what happens. Besides, we should still be able to sell this world for a nice profit and the Frieza Force should be please with the outcome. Besides, even with all the damage we did, this place is still prettier than the other dumps out there."

She turned her head. "That isn't what I meant."

Bardock stopped stretching. "You mean the people?"

She sighed. "It's a stupid thing to be upset about. Despite fighting on the front lines only once, I laid waste to countless worlds. I killed thousands...maybe millions... Yet...I never can get used to sight of the damage we cause. The lives we take. The smell of death and blood in the air. Despite seeing it so many times, it's still like seeing it for the first time."

Bardock turned his head, at a lost at what to say.

He couldn't relate at all. To him, this was just another job. The lives they took last night didn't bothered him at all. Neither did any of the other countless lives he took. These people meant nothing to him. To him, feeling guilty about killing these people was like feeling sorry that you stepped on a bug.

"What can I say. These people died because, at the end of the day, they were weak," Bardock stated. "If they had true power, they would have survived. If we didn't kill them, someone stronger would have done it. That's just the way things are."

She lowered her head. "I guess if they truly had the will to survive, they would have defeated us."

"It takes more than will to get ahead. Unless you have the power to back it, willpower means crap," Bardock said. "That's what separates the weak from the strong. The weak thinks that there is such a thing as justice or karma. That those who do evil will eventually pay for it and the good will be rewarded." He snorted. "Such utterly nonsense. There is no justice or karma, or some higher power looking out for the weak in this universe. Only power, and those who have the power are the ones who make the rules. In this case, it is Frieza who makes the rules and he says that these people die. So they die. It's as simple as that."

"And the strong are the ones who have the power to take what they want," Gine surmised.

"Exactly. The strong forged their own destiny and don't wait for the forces of the universe to hand them anything," Bardock replied. "That is what makes us Saiyans so great and superior to all in the universe. Through hardships and pain, we grow stronger. We don't make excuses for being weak. We continue to grow stronger and fight even those who maybe more powerful than us. That is the greatness of us Saiyans."

Gine looked over the ruined landscape again. "And how many lives do we have to destroy before we reached the point of surpassing gods?" Before Bardock could answer, she took out her scouter. She had it in her armor so it wouldn't be damage during the transformation. "I detect several battle powers near here. I think one of them is Tora. We should meet up with him since he has no scouter."

Bardock nodded. "Yeah, good idea. We need to coordinate so we can pick off any remaining trash on this planet."

Gine winced at the mentioned at trash, but said nothing.

They both took off into the air, keeping an eye out for any survivors.

Bardock stared at Gine's back as they made their way to the others.

She really wasn't cut out for this type of work. She couldn't seem to understand the very nature of the universe. She couldn't understand that the weak always died for the sake of the strong. It's been like that long before they were even born and would remained that way long after they died. One couldn't changed= nature.

Or...perhaps she didn't _want_ to understand. The same lessons were embedded into her mind too. It was for every Saiyan child born. Yet, she rejected it despite seeing the truth everyday. Perhaps she enjoyed being in pain.

And yet, a part of him began to wonder that perhaps the strong living and the weak dying was too simple...

Nonsense.

She was just getting in his head. There was no way such a soft outlook could be right. It went against everything he has ever been taught. It went against the very idea of being a Saiyan.

He couldn't wait for her to finally be old enough to leave his team. Than, everything would be back to normal and he could pretend that she never existed.

* * *

 **And we're finally done with this planet. Seems they've been on it forever. Well, Gine survived her first mission as part of Bardock's crew and got rescued several times, and Bardock is having conflicting emotions. Overall, some progress.**

 **saiyan ninja, thank you for your review. Sounds interesting. I need to check that one out. Goku having control of his Great Ape transformation would be dangerous in the original series.**

 **My Guest reviewer, thank you for your feedback. Goku does take a little bit from both of his parents. His father and him are very similar in their love for fighting and wanting to be stronger for the sake of being stronger, but Goku wouldn't like his father killing people, especially those who can't even defend themselves. Also, thank you for telling me about character name in the search bar. I thought I did have this fanfic under [Bardock, Gine], but it wasn't for some reason. Well, that's fixed now.**

 **Dark princess, thank you for your feedback. There really isn't enough Gine stories. I personally find her an interesting character since she is a soft-hearted Saiyan who hated fighting, making her similar to her grandchild Gohan. I wished _Minus_ told us a little more about her. Also glad to here you enjoyed Learning to Live Again. That was a fun story to write.**

 **Cereza, thank your for your review. I was worried when writing this story that my version of Bardock wouldn't be liked by many since I tend to show him in an unflattering light at times. Namely, how he is a unrepentant murderer who enjoys wiping out planets. Most fanfic used Bardock as he was portrayed in the English dub where he is more heroic. I love the English dub, but I wanted to show that Bardock, while having many noble aspects, isn't a good person by human standards. Namely, he's closer to his original Japaense portrayal, although there is bits of English dub Bardock in there and more will come out as he develops feelings for Gine.**

 **Ruu, thank you for your review. I enjoy writing Bardock and Gine since they are complete opposites of each other. How they got together is truly interesting, especially since Saiyans are not known for their family bonds.**

 **With all that done, until next chapter, take care.**


	9. Undeniable Feelings

**Finally updated a chapter on time for the first time in weeks. Thank you all again for your reviews, favorites, and follows. It's always good to know that many are enjoying the story despite it being a slow burn. Hope it continues to bring enjoyment.**

 **Now, to the chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Undeniable Feelings**

* * *

Gine ducked behind a building as a blast of energy nearly hit her. She grabbed her arm as she hissed in pain. These people were relentless. For every person she took down, it was like ten more came out of nowhere to take their place.

Her scouter buzzed as she detected another one of her comrades ceased to be. She cussed under her breath.

Things weren't going well.

Despite the advancements of ten Saiyan's crews and hundreds from the Frieza Force, they were getting their butts hammered. It had gotten so bad that the king himself along with several elites were coming to their aid. Bardock and others, naturally, weren't happy about that, but she didn't care. Anything that got her out of this hellhole alive was welcomed.

She glanced up at the night sky, seeing the broken pieces of what had been the moon.

Their foe was clever. After they took down Cornera and two other planets, every world within Delta Galaxy began to destroy their moons. They were willing to risk natural damaged to their planet just to keep them from transforming.

It wasn't too bad, at first. It took longer, but they were able to purged planets with relative ease thanks to how powerful Bardock and others were.

Now, it was like every powerful person in the galaxy had converged on this one planet. Despite getting stronger from being on the crew, there was no way she could take beings with power levels in the upper two-thousands. Even Fasha was forced to stay by Tora's side at all times.

"There's one!"

She reacted without thinking, taking down the person who gave away her position. Thankfully, the guy was weak since it only took one of her energy blasts to kill the scout. Regardless, she couldn't stay here. More powerful warriors would be on their way thanks to him.

She jumped from the building, trying to find new cover while keeping a low profile. Explosions rocked the ground and pieces of metal nearly fell on her from buildings being destroyed.

This was just like the Federal Alliance all over again.

Her scouter beeped, but before she could reaction she was hit by energy wave. Thankfully, she was able to dodge just enough to keep the blast from being fatal.

She rolled several times on the ground before stopping. She tried to get up, but her attacker placed their foot on her back, making that impossible.

"One more monkey down," the person sneered.

Gine closed her eyes, thinking that was truly the end.

But...it never came.

Instead, someone shot her attacker, felling them in one hit.

"You careless, woman. I told you to stay near me," the very familiar voice of Bardock scolded.

She looked up to see her savior standing over her. Despite his harsh words, she could see the expression of worry on his face.

"Sorry. I got separated during that last push," Gine said as Bardock helped her up.

"You have to be careful. One slip will kill you and I won't be here to always save you," Bardock warned.

"Yet...you always seemed to," she whispered more to herself.

Since that first mission on Cornera, Bardock always seemed to be saving her. Every time she found herself in even a little trouble, he was there to bail her out. Almost like a guardian angel.

She blushed at that thought. This wasn't the time to be thinking of something...romantic. Besides, there was nothing angelic about Bardock.

"Where are the others?" she asked, getting her head back into the battle. This wasn't the place to for her mind to wonder.

"They're back Section B. We got pushed back again," Bardock said with an edge of annoyance in his voice.

"They're kicking our butts," Gine stated. This was the fifth time they lost ground.

"Yes they are," he grumbled. "Dammit. To think we have relied on those stupid elites to save us."

"It can't be helped," Gine said. "They're the only ones who can make an artificial moon and we simply don't have enough strong people to take this world, even with the Frieza Force help."

Bardock folded his arms. "It's more than just that. Frieza's sending some of his top generals here. Zarbon and Dodoria."

This got her attention. "Those two!? They're Frieza personal confidantes and best men outside of the Ginyu Force. He only sends them when things are _really_ bad."

He nodded before sighing. "I guess it could be worse. He could've sent the Ginyu Force here. Then we would've really been in trouble."

"When will they arrive?" Gine asked.

"The same days as King Vegeta, so five days from now," Bardock answered before he raised his energy in frustrated. "Dammit. I was hoping this would be a big win for us. It would've set a new record for us."

She gently touched his arm. "Bardock, we've done more than anyone would've expected. In this last year alone, we have taking five worlds without backup and assisted in twelve takeovers. That's better than even the elites crews outside the king."

"That isn't enough," Bardock mumbled. "Until they see us as anything but lower class, it will never be enough."

Gine forced a smile. "Well, the king will be here. Maybe you can catch his eye. You're certainly powerful enough to be considered an elite."

Bardock stared at her. "You always look on the bright side, don't you?"

She shrugged. "No point being pessimistic. Besides, I wouldn't be alive if I wasn't optimistic."

"There more over here!"

They both turned around and saw several soldiers charging towards them with energy weapons.

"We spent too much time here," Bardock berated himself as he charged the soldiers.

He ruthlessly punched a hole through one of them, but left himself opened. An energy blast glazed Bardock's shoulder and he responded by taking the man down with a bust of his own energy.

Gine backed him up by firing on the soldiers. Because of their armor and higher battle power, her attacks didn't do much damage, but it did distract them, giving Bardock several openings.

Within a few minutes, the area was clear again.

"Let's get out of here. I'm certain that called for backup," Bardock ordered as he took to the air.

Gine shortly followed.

They heading back to Section B where the heavy fighting was taking place. Energy blasts from both sides lit up the sky, giving an eerily pretty sight.

Gine could see the bodies of several soldiers from the Frieza Force along with several Saiyans. She could only imagined how many crews were wiped out.

"Bardock, we need some help here in Section B, area ten. We're being overrun and the Frieza Force is dropping like flies," the voice of Shugesh said over the scouter.

Bardock pressed his scouter. "On our way." He turned towards Gine. "You should head back to base. This is way out of your league."

She narrowed her eyes. "No way. I'm a part of this crew, too. I maybe weak, but I won't abandon my comrades. Especially now."

He snorted. "You will only get yourself killed, since I'll be too busy to protect you"

"It's my life. I can do what I want with it," she countered with more heat than she meant.

Bardock glared at her before turning his head. "Tsk, do whatever you want. Stupid woman."

She stared at his back. Despite the harsh words, she could hear the worry in his voice.

For months now, Bardock seemed more...protective of her. Yeah, he always saved her before, but now...he kept giving her orders to stand back. Before, she fought on the front lines while staying behind the others, acting as a distraction. Now, he didn't even want her to do even that. Like she was a glass doll or something.

She hated the fighting and killing, and a part of her wanted to go back to base until this entire nightmare was over. But she refused to be anyone's pity case. She was a worthless reject, but she was still a Saiyan, dammit. She had her pride. It may get her killed, but it was all she had.

It took them a few minutes to reached Shugesh's position. It was nearly impossible to find him, however, given all the heavy fighting.

Bardock opened fired on the enemy as he landed, taking out several of them and clearing a path.

Gine did the same, trying to distract them so their other allies could push through.

"Thanks!" someone from the Frieza Force shouted as they made their charge.

"Bout time you got here!" Shugesh shouted from the back, running to regroup with them. Behind him was Borgos.

His armor was heavily damaged and he had small wounds all over his body. From what Gine could see, there was nothing life threatening.

"Have there been any advancements on this front?" Bardock asked, still firing at the approaching soldiers.

"Not much to talk about," Shugesh answered, punching a soldier who flew at him. "Although, we are seeing some progress in Section C."

"Well, that's some good news," Bardock said, stopping his firing to take a rest.

"We won't hold it long," Borgos spoke. "There are reinforcements heading in that direction."

Gine rubbed her head in frustration. "How many soldiers does this planet have? There's no end to them."

"Never thought I would miss not becoming a Great Ape," Shugesh said in equal frustration. "If we could transform, we can end this mess in one night."

"No point whining about it. We have to make as much headway as possible before those elites get here," Bardock said before he narrowed his eyes. "No way am I letting them come here after losing two sections."

Shugesh nodded before grinning. "Feel the exact same way."

Bardock gave a wolfish grin. "Then, let's move!"

Shugesh and Borgos gave a loud battle cry as they followed their leader into battle.

Gine sighed to herself as she followed them. It was going to be another long night. There seemed to be a lot of those lately.

For hours they battled through hordes of enemies. Many within the Frieza Force dropped, but thankfully everyone on the crew was still alive, although they got their fair share of injures.

Gine stood back as she watched the other's backs. It wasn't much, but it was something.

"Careful! Power levels of over four-thousand are heading our way!" Shugesh warned.

"Terrific," Bardock said with a grin. "Was getting bored with the grunts."

"You would find that exciting," Gine mumbled.

"Of course. This is what we Saiyans live for. We'll have Section B back before the night..."

Before Bardock could finish his sentence, Gine felt something suddenly slammed into her chest, taking the air out of her. Her vision went red and all the sounds seemed to disappear from the world. She strangely didn't feel any pain. Only a haunting numbness and a feeling of falling.

Through her fading vision, she saw Bardock's expression go from shock, horror, to outrage. There was a looked of rage and murder in his eyes that she had never seen before.

But she didn't have a chance to dwell on that. Before long, she felt herself fade away and soon, there was nothingness.

* * *

She wasn't sure where she was. All she knew that she was some where warm yet wet. It felt like she was submerged; yet she could still breath. Like there was a mask around her mouth. She could also hear a low hum, like a machine or something.

It finally clicked for her. She must be in a healing tank.

When did she get here? Her last clear memory was making a charge with Bardock, Shugesh, and Borgos. Then, everything went dark. If she was here...

Her eyes shot opened. She tried to focus as she stared at the blue tinted glass. She couldn't see well because of the liquid that was healing her and she was still dazed from her sudden awakening.

"Oh. You have regained consciousness," a kindly voice spoke.

She heard a loud click and the liquid slowly drained from the tank. She felt cold and shivered as the tank opened.

"Welcome back, Gine. You gave us quite a scare there for awhile," the doctor said with small smile.

Gine stared at the familiar face of Planthorr. Unlike most within the Frieza Force, he looked and acted like a kindly old man, almost like someone's grandfather.

She always wondered what a kind old man like him was doing in league with someone like Frieza. He didn't seem like the type to care for conquest and didn't have an ounce of malice within him. He only came to planets with heavy fighting like these to care for the injured, especially the Saiyans since he was one of the few doctors stationed on Planet Vegeta. Maybe she should ask him one day.

"Thank you, Planthorr," she spoke softly, stepping out of the tank.

Planthorr already had a towel ready for her, which she gratefully took. "Your clothes are on the table, all new. Your old ones were beyond salvageable."

Gine nodded as she dried herself off. She approached the table and started to put her new armor on. "What happened out there?"

"You wouldn't remember. Your crew was attacked by a unit of elite soldiers. You were mortally wounded." He paused for a second. "An energy blast pierced your heart."

She stopped changing when she heard this. "What!?" She turned towards Planthorr.

"I don't know how, but you managed to cling to life. You almost didn't make it," Planthorr stated.

Gine touched her chest in awe. Near her heart was a small scar that wasn't there before, proving that the doctor's story was true. "I...I guess I was lucky."

Planthorr shook his head. "It wasn't luck. You would have died on the field if Bardock haven't carried you back here."

Her eyes widened. "Bardock?"

"Despite being badly injured himself, he carried you all the way back here," Planthorr stated. "I have never seen him like that for any of his teammates. He refused to go into a healing tank until he knew you were stable."

"Is he still here?" Gine whispered, still numb from the shock.

Planthorr turned his head towards one of the healing tanks on the far side of the room. In it was the very familiar hairstyle that only belonged to Bardock.

She rushed to it and looked over the readings on the monitor.

"He is stable and will make a full recovery," Planthorr said as he walked next to her. "That man. He suffered five broken ribs, a punctured lung, a broken arm, and a hairline fracture on both of his legs. He was mess, but this is quite mild for Bardock."

She knew that was true. Bardock had a habit of _always_ getting himself hurt no matter how mild the mission was. It was an ongoing joke among the crew that no mission was complete until Bardock made his trip to the healing tank.

"After he heals from this, that man's power level will be closed to seven thousand," Planthorr went on. "I can only think of three other Saiyans with power levels that high."

She touched the tank. She couldn't bring herself to joke about Bardock's rapidly growing power level. "He...he got hurt because of me."

Planthorr turned towards her. "I wouldn't feel guilty. Bardock has become quite fond of you."

Gine stared at the old doctor.

He gave a knowing smile. "I have been treating you Saiyans ever since Lord Frieza annex your planet. I have seen every baby born since the day I came to Vegeta, and I remember all of their faces and names. I even remember the day they died. I know your biology better than your own doctors. There is no way I would not have noticed how he looks at you."

She shook his head. "You got it all wrong. We don't have that kind of relationship. Bardock only keeps an eye on me so I can survive long enough to retire. To him, I'm little more than an ego project."

Planthorr smirked. "You really believe that?" He shook his head. "That may have been his original reason for protecting you, but that has changed. _He_ has changed." He stared at the healing tank holding the proud Saiyan warrior. "The Bardock I know would have never rushed back here with a mortally wounded teammate. He would have been angry and avenged them, but he would have stood on that battlefield until he could not fight anymore. Yet, with you, he dropped what he was doing and rushed back here to save you. He even stood by your side until he knew you were alright. That is not the act of a concern commander." He paused for several seconds. "That is the act of someone who has fallen in love."

Gine nearly fell over when she heard that. "In love!?" It took her several seconds to recompose herself. "What are you talking about? Saiyans _don't_ fall in love."

"Everyone falls in love, unless you belong to our lord's clan. Saiyans are no different," Planthorr stated in a matter-of-fact voice.

She folded her arms. "I think you're looking too far into this. Bardock, like all Saiyans, are in love with battle. If they do take the time to do anything else, it's to have sex when the urge hits and then go back to their business not even a minute later. That's the way it has always been."

"Perhaps, but that does not change what has happened to Bardock. He has undoubtedly fallen for you. I do not think he even noticed," Planthorr chuckled. "That man is so thick-headed that it takes plant-size energy blast to get through to him."

There was a long paused.

"Why are you telling me this?" Gine asked, going back to staring at Bardock.

"Because he will never make the first move. He will never realize his feelings for you unless you do it first," Planthorr replied.

"Me?" Gine questioned in shock. "You got to be kidding. One just don't go to their commander and asked, 'do you like me?'."

Planthorr shrugged. "Do what you think is best. Whatever you do, make sure you have no regrets."

There was another long moment of silence.

"Why do you even care?" Gine suddenly asked.

Planthorr did not answered right away. "Because...I want to see someone of your kind to finally find happiness."

Gine stared at him.

"As I said, I remember every baby born on Vegeta. I was there when you were born, Gine. I was there when you were tested and classified as a reject. Those who are born with soft, kind hearts are destined to live tragic, lonely, and short lives, where they are cast out by their own kin and treated like pariahs," Planthorr said. He didn't bother to hide his bitterness. "I am forced to see people like you suffer and die because of how you were born. Because you dared to have a conscience. Perhaps it is me getting old and senile, but...just once...I want to see a reject have a happy ending." It looked he was going to say something else, but held his tongue.

Gine was left speechless.

Never once had she seen someone so emotional over what she was. She had seen hatred, disgust, pity, and even begrudging toleration, but never outright acceptance. Even her crew, as nice as they all were, mostly saw her as a pity case or someone with a mental handicap.

"Bardock and you have something unique. Something I have never seen from a Saiyan," Planthorr said as he turned away from the healing tank. "Do not let this past you by because of timidness. Because opportunities like these are rarely granted a second chance."

With that, Planthorr walked off, leaving Gine to her thoughts.

She went back to staring at the healing tank.

Did Planthorr speak the truth? Has Bardock really falling in love with her? It sounded beyond the impossible. Saiyans simply didn't fall in love. They had lust, but never love. She doubted they were capable of such an emotion. Planthorr, as old and wise as he was, must be mistaken.

But then...that would explained why he went out of his way to saved her. No mattered what was going on the field; he always seemed to be there to saved her. She would have died a hundred times over without him. ...She should be dead now.

She touched the scar over her heart.

How could this have happened? How could he of all people fall for her? She was a soft-hearted weakling who could barely take care of herself. She always needed others to protect her.

He was a powerful warrior who had the strength of an elite. If he were giving the respect he rightly deserved, he would be leading armies under the king himself.

They were complete opposites. No way could they have fallen for each other. It was against nature itself.

But...but...it's happened. ...At least for her.

Talking to Planthorr, she began to realize that slowly, she had fallen for him. She didn't even know when it happened. It just gradually snuck up on her.

He was the first person in her entire life that treated her decently. He didn't agree with what she was, but he didn't judge or looked down at her. He even made her feel like a real part of the team instead of a charity case.

Until recently...

Was that why Bardock was suddenly trying to get her away from the front lines? That his worries weren't related to her living to stick it to the higher ups, but because he loved her?

The mere thought of that made her feel warm and that warmth was rapidly spreading throughout her body. She had never felt this way before. The emotions she was feeling were so powerful that she was having trouble standing and she was closed to tears.

"Hey, Gine. You're okay?"

She turned to see Fasha standing behind her. She must have been really out of it. She didn't sense her at all. "Yes...yes of course."

"Then why are you half naked? I know we have nothing to hide around here, but you still need to put your clothes on like everyone else," Fasha said with a hint of humor.

She blushed in embarrassment. She was so taking by Planthorr's words that she completely forgot that she was only dressed in her underwear and bra.

Fasha stared at her. "Are you crying?"

"No...no," Gine stuttered as she frantically rubbed her moist eyes. Dammit, she didn't want to cry in front of her crew.

"If you're worried about this lug, don't. Bardock's been hurt far worse than this and survived. It will take a planet exploding on him before he bits it," Fasha assured.

Gine went to put the rest of her clothes on. "Fasha... Planthorr told me that Bardock carried me back here after I was mortally wounded."

"Yeah, I've heard," Fasha said before she fall silent for several seconds. "Shugesh told me that Bardock was actually in tears and thought you'd died. He went berserk and completely wiped out the bastards who hurt you." There was another short pause. "You did officially die."

Gine's felt his breath catch.

"Borgos restarted your heart using his energy. I didn't even know he was trained to do that since he could have flash fried your heart if he messed up. Guess he's a man of many talents," Fasha said, trying to add some humor before she sighed. "Once you were revived, Bardock flew you through enemy's lines to get you here, taking some heavy damage."

"Why he do it?" she asked barely above a whisper.

Fasha smirked. "I think you know."

Gine was quiet for a moment. "Planthorr said it's because he loves me."

Fasha laughed. "Planthorr would say that."

This shocked Gine. "You agree with him!?"

"I don't know. I have no experience with love. I don't even know if a Saiyan _can_ feel love," Fasha stated. Her eyes softened. "What I do know is, Bardock wouldn't have done that for any of us and we are his family in all but blood. That tells me something. Rather it's love or not...only you and Bardock can figure that out."

Gine took in Fasha's words.

Both Planthorr and her said the same thing. That couldn't be mere coincidence.

"You better get dress and get something to eat. King Vegeta and those elites from Frieza will be here in a few hours," Fasha said.

"Hours!?" Gine exclaimed.

"I guess Planthorr didn't tell you. You were unconscious for over five days," Fasha said.

Five days? That was unbelievable. It usually took only a day or two to heal from mortal injures. But...they did say she died. She supposed even the healing tank had a task keeping her alive.

"Must be quite a shock." Fasha glanced at Bardock. "Hopefully he will be up before the king arrives. We will never hear the end of it if he miss him." She looked back at Gine. "I'll leave you in peace."

She walked out, leaving Gine even more confused and lost about her feelings.

She stared at Bardock, who continued to sleep without care in the healing tank. "You really are a man of many mysteries. To think, you would do all this for me." She smiled tenderly. "Thank you, Bardock."

Bardock remained unaware of any of this.

She turned away from the chamber and finished dressing before going out to get food for herself and for Bardock when he finally wakes up.

Talking to Planthorr and Fasha really opened her eyes to many things. And a big realization.

As long as she was around, Bardock was in danger. Just for her, he pulled those crazy stunts that could've gotten him killed. Whether he loved her or not, he would undoubtedly do it again if she got in trouble. That was just him.

She couldn't allow that. She couldn't allow him to get hurt on her behalf anymore. It wasn't fair to him or the rest of the crew.

As much as she loved to be near him...perhaps it was time to cut ties.

* * *

 **Gine has finally realized that she has fallen for Bardock. The question now is, does Bardock realize it and how will he react. And I enjoy writing Planthorr. There isn't enough written about him.**

 **My Guest reviewer, thank you for your feedback. Gine did help Bardock gained some measure of control, although it's really limited. But he made the first step since he had a real reason to control it other than for his ego. It would be interesting to see how Goku would have turned out if his mother raise him. I half imagine that Goku would be more aggressive since he will keep most of his Saiyan's instincts and of course his original name, but he will largely be like the Goku we know and love.**

 **Cereza, thank you for your review. Bardock will always be Bardock. No woman can truly change a man. But we do see some of Gine's influence effect Bardock. It's just quite subtile. Just like you see in this chapter.**

 **Dark princess, thank you for your review. Gohan is a good example of being kind, sweet, and soft-hearted isn't a weakness. It can actually be a great strength given how Gohan's power is tied to his ability to feel empathy for others. I also enjoy how Bardock and Gine completely contrast each other, yet they still form a powerful bond and gradually change each other in the process.**

 **Until next chapter, take care.**


	10. Confessions

**The next chapter is here and ready for your reading enjoyment. As always, thank you for your reviews, favorites, and follows. It brings me joy knowing that so many are enjoying the story. Also, of a note, the next chapter may be later since I am currently out of town and may not have time to do the proper editing. Just thought I give some fair warning.**

 **Now, the the chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Confessions**

* * *

They were in battle, fighting scores of enemies who vainly attempted to kill them. They were strong, no doubt about that. Several within the Frieza Force fell to them, but not him. He was far too strong to be killed by such trash.

Despite the hard time this world have been given him, and the arrival of King Vegeta and Frieza's flunkies, he was still having the time of his life. There was nothing like the rush of blood, the smell of death filling his nose, the screams of his enemies' dying breaths, and moving forward and conquering all in his path.

This was the life of a Saiyan. This was what being a beast of death was all about.

"Careful! Power levels of over four thousand heading our way!" he heard Shugesh shout.

He grinned when he heard this news. Finally the enemy was sending more powerful opponents. The small fries didn't fully satisfy his bloodlust. He needed tougher people to kill or else he may burst. "Terrific. Was getting bored with the grunts."

"You would find that exciting," he heard Gine mumbled.

She would never understand and he pitied her. She would never understand the giant rush he was having. He was so high right now, he almost felt invincible. Forget King Vegeta, he could conquer this world on his own.

"Of course. This is what we Saiyans live for," he proclaimed. "We'll have Section B back before the night..."

A beam of energy suddenly past by him and before he could blink, a giant hole appeared on Gine's chest, just above her heart. Whoever shot her had burnt right through her protective armor like it wasn't even there.

He stared in shock at the hole, not believing what he was seeing. He saw nothing but black. Blackness that was starting to rapidly pour out blood.

Gine just stood there. Her eyes were dilated and her skin quickly pale as the life drained out of her. She didn't grab the wound. She didn't seem to be completely aware of it. She didn't even look to be in pain.

A single tear fell from her eyes as her knees gave way and she began to collapse.

"GINE!" he could remember screaming at the top of his lungs.

Borgos was the one who caught her before she could hit the ground.

"Gine!" Shugesh also screamed as he rushed to her side. He placed a hand on her chest and he saw Shugesh's jaw clenched. "There's no heartbeat and she isn't breathing... She's..."

He didn't hear anything else after that. No sound past through his ears except for the pounding of his own rapidly pounding heart. The air felt stall and cold as he attempted to breath.

Gine's dead... Gine was dead...

THOSE BASTARDS KILLED GINE!

"DAMN YOU!" the screamed ripped through his throat as he released his energy. Without second thought, he charged Gine's murderers.

He couldn't think...he didn't want to think. Thinking would make him think of Gine, who was now lying cold and motionless on the ground. How dare these assholes kill her! How dare they pierce her gentle heart with their filthy energy!

They will pay! He would make them _suffer_!

They shot at him, hitting him in his vital areas, and broke his bones, but he didn't care. No amount of pain they could inflict could equal the agony he felt within.

There was blood everywhere. It littered the ground and splotched his face. Earlier, the smell of blood enthralled, but now...it was reminded him of Gine whose blood poured out into a puddle under her.

He wasn't sure how long the moment lasted, but when he finally regained his senses, everyone in the area was dead. There wasn't an enemy left in sight, only corpses. He could see their frozen horrified expressions and the anguished on their faces. How many….? It looked to be fifty…no more…maybe one-hundred….

He gave a vicious smirk.

Good. He hoped they all suffered greatly before they died. He wanted them to suffer longer for what they did to Gine. But he wasn't particularly good at torture.

"She's alive!"

Bardock turned towards his crew, somehow regaining the ability to hear sound.

Borgos' hand was lit up and pressed onto Gine's chest. To his shock, her chest was moving, although very weakly.

"I managed to restart her heart and give her some of my energy," Borgos stated. His normally calm, dispassionate voice was latched with an underline of worry. "But she won't last long."

Shugesh turned towards the Frieza Force, who stared at shock at what just happened. "Hey, you loser do something useful! Get her to the medical bay, now! There's still a chance to save her!"

"I'll take her," he spoke before his mind realized what he was saying.

Shugesh stared at him in shock. "But..."

"Move!"

He left no room for argument. Gine was still alive. There was a chance she could survived this. He couldn't spare another second.

Borgos lifted Gine and carefully put her into his arms. He could feel the sticky blood covering him, but he didn't care. He was used to being drenched in blood, his own and others.

Without a word to his crew, he flew off.

He flew at his fastest speed, not caring if the enemy spotted him. He would get Gine to the medical bay. She _will_ live.

He felt people shooting at him and even tried to chase after him, but he ignored all of them. None of them mattered. Only Gine mattered.

After what felt like an eternity, he was finally at the main base.

When he landed, he stumbled a little, but pushed himself forward, ignoring all the stares and people trying to talk to him.

He slammed opened the door to the medical center. He saw Planthorr and the other doctors staring at him in shock.

"Bardock?" Planthorr questioned.

"Save her," was the only thing he said.

Planthorr looked down at the burden in his arms and his eyes widened. He quickly composed himself and grabbed the dying girl from his arms. He stripped her of armor and cloths while their most advanced healing chamber was prepared for her. Not even a minute later, she was in the tank.

From there he waited.

He saw Planthorr rapidly danced his fingers across the keyboard, trying desperately to keep Gine alive.

The other doctors tried to get him into a tank, but he refused. He wouldn't move until he knew Gine would be alright. Even in his weaken state; they couldn't forced him to do anything.

He fought off sleep, although he did doze off several times. It wasn't long, though. Only cat naps that lasted ten to twenty minutes. The doctors offered him food, but he wasn't hungry. However, they insisted that he drank water.

They annoyed him, but he knew that they were only trying to help. It's just his personal health didn't mean anything until he learned Gine's fate. He couldn't relax until Gine pulled through or she died where she sat.

Was it days, he wasn't sure. He was so tired and out of it that time meant nothing to him.

"She is finally through the worst of it," Planthorr spoke the words he longed to hear. The old doctor carefully read the readings on the monitor. "Yes. She should be alright now." He turned to look at him. "It was your quick action that saved her. If you have not rushed her here, nothing would have been able to save her."

Bardock sighed in relief and he closed his eyes. Within seconds, he allowed the darkness to take him away.

By the time awareness returned to him, he was somewhere warm and wet. He must be in the healing tank. He's been here too many times not to know.

He opened his eyes and saw the familiar face of Planthorr staring at him. He nodded in approval to one of the doctors and the tank emptied of the healing liquid. Once fully drained, the door opened.

"You healed up as nicely as always, Bardock, despite your injuries becoming infected by not getting into the tank sooner," Planthorr lightly scolded as Bardock stepped out.

Bardock looked around the room and felt a sigh of relief leave his throat when he saw Gine, alive and well standing next to one of the doctors.

"You're okay, Bardock?" she asked softly.

He nodded. "Just a little sore." He tested out his once fractured arm, finding it on the stiff side.

"You really need to take better care of yourself," Planthorr stated as Bardock walked past him to put his armor on. "One day you will come in here with wounds I won't be able to fix."

"If that happens, it was simply my time to go," Bardock said in a dismissive tone.

"Don't say that!" Gine exclaimed. He looked at her in shock and Gine seemed to just realize her outburst. She lowered her head. "Sorry... I was out line."

Planthorr looked between the two Saiyans. "I should give you two your space. I'm sure you have much to talk about."

He motioned all the other doctors out of the room, leaving them alone. Neither one of them spoke as Bardock continued to dress himself.

"I...I wanted to say thank you," Gine finally spoke after several minutes. "Planthorr and Fasha told me what happened."

"Think nothing of it," Bardock said in a dismissive tone. "I did what I would've done for any on my crew."

Gine was quiet for several seconds. "But...that isn't true, is it?"

Bardock stopped dressing and glanced at her from the side of his eyes. "Are you saying that I gave you special treatment?" His voice rose.

He didn't know why he was acting like this. He knew she only spoke the truth. Although he deeply cared for the other members of crew and would avenge them if some bastard did them in, he has _never_ reacted like that before when one of them was injured.

There was a difference. Namely, no one within his crew was ever mortally wounded before. But...he completely lost it when he thought Gine had died. Like his entire world crashed on his head. He's never felt like that.

Gine looked away. "I...I don't know. I only know what Planthorr and Fasha told me. They say you would've never acted the way you did with anyone else."

"Then they thought wrong," he answered in a cold voice, finishing dressing. "Those two shouldn't fill your head with such drivel. You're just a member of my team. Nothing more, nothing less."

Gine was silence.

He could tell by her expression that she didn't believed him, but wasn't sure how to proceed.

It was just as well. He wasn't sure about his own feelings at the moment. About what happened to him back there. Being around Gine had done something to him. It was making him experience things that he had never felt.

Worse of all, he was actually liking these strange feelings. When he was around Gine, he felt warm, comfortable. Like he could tell her anything and relax. It was a sensation completely alien to him.

"I brought you some food," Gine said, pointing to the table filled with plates. "I know you must be hungry."

"Did you eat?" Bardock asked.

She nodded. "Not that long ago. I only got out from the chamber about an hour ago."

"I see." He walked over to the table, took a seat, and began to dig in.

He ate like a starving dog. He couldn't even remember the last time he had a meal. By how empty his stomach felt, he must have been days.

"We are to go to the meeting yard in about an hour. King Vegeta and the others will be arriving soon," Gine informed.

This made Bardock stopped eating. "Soon?" His eyes widened. "You were hurt five days ago!?"

She nodded. "I was surprised too. Although, I was more surprised that you stayed neared my healing tank until you knew I was stable. You went over two days without any medical attention. You barely slept and didn't eat. They barely got water into you."

Bardock could only stare at her as he took in this information.

Two days? He was by her side for that long? No wonder he was so hungry. That was unbelievable. Did he really cared for her that much?

He shook his head. "I needed to make sure you made it. Your heart was pierced. Nearly destroyed in fact. It's a miracle that Borgos was able to restart it." He paused for a moment. "Your armor saved you, too. If that beam had penetrated completely through your body, you would have died instantly."

"And I am grateful to him. By all accounts, I should have died out there," she spoke before staring at him. "You saved me, too. You flew me all the way back here despite the danger. You even took revenge on the people who nearly killed me." She smiled sadly. "I've only known you for little more than a year, but...that wasn't normal for you. You wouldn't have left the battlefield just to tend to an injure crew member. You may have sent Borgos or Shugesh to get me medical attention, but you wouldn't have done it yourself. When...when I died, something happened to you."

Bardock went back to eating. "You're just thinking too much about nothing."

He ended the conversation there. If this went on, he may say something regrettable. Before he could go any further with Gine, he needed to sort out his own conflicting feelings.

Once he was done eating, they were off to the meeting yard where many of Frieza's forces and some Saiyans were gathered. Bardock could tell by the noise in background that heavy fighting was still taking place. He wondered if they managed to retake any of the lost territory while he was down.

"There!" one of Frieza's men shouted while pointing up.

He looked up to see a flying saucer heading towards them. He supposed the king and the other elites wouldn't come in attack balls. Too common for them.

When it landed, everyone put their rights hands over their hearts, the universal greeting for anyone with high authority. The door hissed opened and Bardock could see the silhouettes of several men.

From the saucer a tall man with hair sticking upwards, and a thick beard and mustached stepped out. Unlike their armor, his was decorated with medals and he wore a bright red cape. Although he had never personally met him until now, all Saiyans knew what King Vegeta looked like. He was just as awe inspiring as the rumors said.

Next to the king was a huge man who towered over him. He was a brutish looking man with mopping hair and a thin mustached.

There were several other Saiyans with the king, but two other people caught his eye.

On the far side of King Vegeta stood a man with light green skin and hair that was a darker green. From appearances, he looked like someone who had never seen combat in his life. He had an aura similar to King Vegeta, though. Maybe he was once royalty at some point. He wouldn't be the first one of imperial blood to be drafted into Frieza's ranks.

Next to him was a fat looking pink man with spikes on his head and wrist. He seemed somewhat dimmed, but he could sense that this man has personally killed a lot of people.

Those two must be Zarbon and Dodoria, Frieza's right hand men. They didn't seem like much. Were they really that powerful?

"At ease, men," Zarbon spoke. His voice was elegant, yet had a weight of authority behind it. Yes, he was definitely royalty at some point.

Everyone relaxed.

Vegeta looked over everyone. "Are you the only ones who have come to greet us?"

One of Frieza's men stepped forward and gave a small bow to the king. "Forgive us. Most of our troops are currently fighting in the field. The resistance on this world got wind of your arrival and have become more aggressive."

Dodoria smiled upon hearing this. "Makes sense. They want to be in a good position to counter us." He laughed. "How futile."

"If they were able to learn about our arrival, their information network must be quite advance," Zarbon observed. "Before they gain more power, we must crush this riff-raff where they stand."

The big Saiyan chuckled. "You worry too much. Once we make a full moon, we will have this planet in the bag before the end of the day."

"I am aware of your transformations. However, simply turning into giant apes and running amok means little without the proper coordination," Zarbon stated, sounding almost bored.

The bigger Saiyan growled at him. "What does that mean?"

"It means exactly as it sounds," Zarbon said. Despite his polite tone, there was an air of annoyance in his voice. "If these people were smart enough to destroy their moons, we have to assume that they may have a counter for your transformations. Especially since your abilities to create false moons has been spreading."

Vegeta nodded. "He's right, Nappa. We need more than just brute force to win this battle; otherwise our forces would have taking this world weeks ago. If we are to crush these scum, we must use our transform state wisely."

"Which is something a Saiyan would have trouble doing," Dodoria mocked.

"What!?" one of the Saiyan elites sneered, turning towards the pink porcupine.

"Settle down," Vegeta ordered in a tight voice.

Dodoria smirked at the Saiyan elite before turning his eyes towards the king. "Vegeta, you really need keep your dogs on a shorter leash. Such temperamental brutes will only prove to be a liability."

Vegeta's eyes twitched, but said nothing.

The one named Nappa looked ready to charged the man, but kept his temper in check.

Bardock also held back a growl. He would've loved to teach these arrogance bastards a lesson, but knew it wasn't wise to cross Frieza's top men. They didn't appear to be strong, but there had to be a reason why Frieza kept them by his side.

Also, King Vegeta was very wary of them, along with the other elites, despite their great strength. Did these two possessed power that surpassed even the greatest of them? It seemed unbelievable.

"Well, if that little drama is finished we should proceed with the planning," Zarbon said. He turned towards one of the commanders on the Frieza Force. "Give us a rundown of this planet's defenses, their strongest fighters, their technology, everything. Leave nothing out."

The man nodded. "Of course, sir." He turned to lead the group to the war room.

"Nappa, stay here and gathered our forces. I want every Saiyan here by the end of the day. No excuses," Vegeta ordered.

Nappa put his right hand to his chest. "Leave it to me, sire."

Vegeta nodded in approval before he left with Zarbon and Dodoria. The other elite Saiyans also followed their king.

"Okay, you low class scum!" Nappa shouted. "Get on your scouters and call anyone in the field back here, on the double! If they're not here within the next hour, I will personally break each of your necks."

Bardock snorted, not caring for the brute's attitude, but he clicked on his scouter. "Seems Fasha and Tora are already in camp. Borgos and Shugesh are also nearby."

"Everyone regrouped after they heard what happened," Gine said. She lowered her head. "They all visited you, but you didn't acknowledge them at all."

Bardock was surprised to hear this. He had no memory of seeing anyone. All he could remember was Gine, clinging to life and the doctors' best attempts to keep her alive. Was he really that out of it?

"Hey, are you Bardock?"

He looked up to see Nappa right in his face. How the hell did he sneak up on him?

"Yes, sir," Bardock answered. He didn't like how this man was staring at him and getting into his personal space.

Nappa looked over him like a piece of meat. "How long before everyone from your crew arrives?"

"There're already here, sir," Bardock answered.

This made Nappa raise an eyebrow. "They're here already? Are you slackers even fighting? There should be at least two members of a crew in the field at all times unless ordered otherwise."

"I have no answer for that. I just came out of healing tank an hour ago," Bardock stated, trying to control his annoyance. Like two from his crew could make a different out there. They maybe one of the strongest fighters here, but even they had their limits. Especially since everyone else here was weak.

Nappa crossed his arms. "I expected better from someone like you. You are, after all, that upstart low class who thinks he's an elite. Or, so I've heard."

He glared at the older man, although he did take some satisfaction knowing that he was known by the elites, and by name to boot. "I only do my job. I just happen to do it better job than anyone. Even compared to _you_ elites."

Nappa narrowed his eyes. "I suggest you watch yourself, low class. Sooner or later, those who don't know their place will eventually be crushed. You can only run on luck for so long," he warned. His eyes suddenly turned towards Gine. "Well, aren't you a runt." He pressed on his scouter and scoffed when he saw the number. "A power level of only eight-hundred twenty. How pathetic. How did a weak little thing like you end up here? Shouldn't be on a frontier planet somewhere killing bugs or something?"

"She's a part of my crew," Bardock answered before Gine, although her power level did surprised him. The last time he scanned her, she was only in the high five hundreds. Then again, she did nearly die. That would've bumped her battle power.

This made Nappa smirk. "Really? I heard your entire crew was made up of people over the one-thousand mark. I guess you really can't believe rumors."

"She may appear weak, but she has a lot of spirit on the battlefield," Bardock said, slowly losing his temper. Elite or not, he was getting on his nerves.

He so wanted to scan Nappa's battle power. He was sure he could take him, but it was against Saiyan's laws to attack a superior. He would be executed, especially with the king being here.

Nappa laughed loudly at his statement. "Spirit mean crap out there. Only power matters. Any Saiyan worth their salt knows that," he stated. "If I was you, I would dump this deadweight and trade up for something better. Hell, I even know several low class Saiyans who are at least past the thousand mark."

Bardock narrowed his eyes. "Thanks, but no thanks. Once a member of my crew, _always_ a member of my crew."

Gine looked at him in awe.

Nappa gave him a bemused look. "Is that really something a commander should say? I'm beginning to wonder how you survived this long with that thinking?" He glanced at Gine. "Look, if you don't want to die a terrible and messy death on some forsaking hellhole, I highly suggest you asked for a transfer, ASAP. This section of the universe is no place for weaklings like you." He then moved on to another crew commander.

"Sheesh, what an ass," Bardock mumbled.

"But he isn't wrong," Gine spoke softly as she lowered her head. "This isn't a place for me to be. Although I've gotten stronger, thanks to you protecting me, the people I'm fighting are way out of my league."

Bardock grabbed her shoulders. "You know as well as I do that no crew will accept a transfer from you. Until your year is up..."

"I'm thinking about leaving," Gine interrupted.

Bardock wasn't expecting this. "Wait…what? You can't."

Gine put her hand to her arm. "I've been thinking about it for awhile. Even if I do live past all of this and make it to retirement, there is no real future for me."

"That isn't true," Bardock replied with some heat. "There are loads of jobs that you can do once you reached the age to leave the army."

"Like what, packing meat? That isn't a life, Bardock," Gine said before sighing. "The fact is...once I leave the army, I won't be a part of your crew anymore. You all will go on without me, while I rot on Planet Vegeta." She gave a small smile. "Despite all the violence and close calls, this has been the happiest year of my life. I finally have friends who don't hate me for what I am and treat me with respect. It's more than I could ever ask for. More than I ever dreamed of."

"Then why this sudden talk about leaving?" Bardock demanded. "You still have more time with us."

She shook her head. "I don't... We go on these insane missions and...I'm always getting into trouble. Even when I try not to, you always need to save me. And this time...you were injured trying to save my life. The fact of the matter is, Bardock, that I am a burden to you. To the entire crew. As Nappa said, I'm deadweight dragging you down."

"That's not true..." he whispered.

She smiled sadly. "It isn't like you to lie. We both know that I'm the load. Not just because of my low battle power, but because I don't have the killing instinct like you and the others. When I was first put on your crew, I was happy to just stay behind and let you guys do all the fighting to protect myself. My survival meant more to me than any of you and…I didn't want to kill anyone. Now...I can't do it anymore. One day...you may get killed protecting me and I...I can't deal with that."

Bardock narrowed his eyes. "That isn't your choice to make. It's _my_ life."

"Which is why I decided to leave the crew," Gine stated with finality. "I will take my attack ball and go to some far off world. Hopefully, I can build a life there. It's what I should have done in the first place, but...I was too much of a coward to do it until now."

"No, what you're doing now is cowardly," Bardock sneered. "Abandoning your crew mid-mission is a capital offense. I can have you killed."

Gine chuckled humorlessly. "After all you've done to save my life, would you really kill me that easily?"

Bardock became silence. No…he wouldn't. He could never hurt Gine even if he wanted to. Even if his Saiyan instincts demanded it.

"But...there's something else I want to tell you before I leave, but not here," Gine said before looking Bardock straight in his eyes. "Meet me by the barracks tonight. Once done...I will leave this place."

Before Bardock could say anything, she turned her back on him and walked off.

What the hell was that all about? Where did this suddenly come from? Gine would never just turned her back without a fight. She was a reject, but she had a powerful fighting spirit. A will to live against all the odds. Now...she was simply giving up? This wasn't right.

Did her near-death experience rattle her that much?

No, he could never believe that. She was a Saiyan. They didn't fear death, they grew stronger from it. So why...?

His eyes narrowed. He wouldn't let her leave. Even if he had to tie her down, she wasn't going anywhere. No one left his crew without _his_ permission. _No one_.

* * *

Night seemed to take forever to fall. The final stages for the attack on this world were completed and would commence by morning. The plan was to divide the Saiyans into four groups, each led by an elite. Once they were in position, those elites would create a false moon and lead their teams to the center of the planet. Zarbon and Dodoria would personally lead the Frieza Force to take the capital and take the head of the leadership.

There were some concerns, given that the capital had the planet's elite fighters and a boatload of weapons that could put a hole through even a Great Ape, but Zarbon assured them that the Frieza Force was up to the task. He estimated at worse a sixty percent lost of troops.

Bardock, for the first time in his life, didn't give a damn about any of that. His only concern was keeping Gine from making the biggest mistake of her life.

As soon as the sunset, he was at the barracks, waiting impatiently for Gine. He cussed under his breath that Gine never gave him an exact time. Only to come tonight.

But, it didn't matter. Even if he had to wait for hours, he wouldn't take the chance in being late and missing her.

"You're early. As always," the voice of Gine spoke as Bardock turned towards her.

"No, you're just really late," Bardock countered, but it had none of its usual snark.

It was obvious by his demeanor that he was tense. More tense than he'd ever been in his entire life, saved for when Gine nearly died. He hoped this wasn't becoming a new normal for him.

She smiled. "Let's move to a more private location."

She took off into the air and Bardock followed shortly behind her. They flew until they came to a rocky cliff that overlooked the broken pieces of the moons.

It was an eerily beautiful sight. One he never noticed until now with all the fighting and bloodshed. Then again, he never noticed such things. He only cared about battle and looking at the scenery served no purposed, other than a distraction.

When they landed, there was a long, uncomfortable silence. Neither one of them spoke or looked at each other.

"Gine, you're making a mistake," Bardock finally said bluntly, deciding to speak first. "You can't leave. If they find out, you will be executed."

"I know and accept my fate. Whether I die by the hands of my own kinsmen, the Frieza Force, or to a species we wronged in the past, I accept them all. I...just can't do this anymore," Gine whispered, tears threatened to fall down her eyes. "I hate being saved and putting my crew in danger. I hate always fighting for my life. And...most of all, I can't _stand_ what we are. No matter how much my program tells me otherwise, we're not warriors, Bardock." She stared at her hands. "We're murderers. Coldblooded, murderers. I can't pretend otherwise anymore."

Bardock glared at her, feeling his temper getting the best of him. "Then why call me here if you already made up your mind? Why don't you just go like the coward you are?"

"Because I've decided to leave without any regrets," Gine replied before looking Bardock straight in the eye. "The primary reason I'm leaving, despite everything I said, is because...is because... I love you."

His eyes widened when he heard those words. "What?"

She lowered her head. "I love you. I have for a while. But...it took me talking to Planthorr and Fasha for me to realize it." She gave a sad smile and tears ran down her cheeks. She wrapped her arms around herself. "We're so different. You live for battle and bloodthirst, while I coward in the background trying not to die. You are the perfect Saiyan, while I'm a complete failure. And yet...I have fallen for you. It seems life isn't without irony."

Bardock remained quiet.

"I know you must be disgusted by me, but...I had to tell you. For my own peace of mind," Gine said before looking at Bardock again, his face was completely blank. "I will never see you again and...I couldn't bear the thought of leaving without at least telling you how I feel." She backed away from him. "I...I really did enjoy our time together. And I'm sorry for being such a burden to you all this time. I..."

Before she could continue, Bardock grabbed her hand, firmly holding her in place.

"Be quiet. You talked enough," Bardock said forcibly.

"Bardock..." she whispered.

"Now, you listen to me," he said harshly. "Since we're being all truthful here, there's something I have to tell you."

Gine stared right at him, obviously expecting hell and bracing herself.

His eyes suddenly softened. "I love you, too."

She nearly fell over hearing this. "What…what!?"

"I don't know when it happened either. There was no moment," Bardock confessed. "All I knew was that I always rushed to save you above all else without thinking. Even above my own crew and the mission. I didn't realize I had falling in love until... you almost died on me... When it happened, I couldn't imagine my life without you. It was like...I was dying alongside you."

She blinked. "Bardock..."

He chuckled humorless. "Look at me. Now you got me saying this sentimental rubbish. I sound like a cheesy and poorly written romance novel. Your soft-heartedness really is an infectious disease. One that has infected my heart since the day I met you. It's almost pathetic."

"Then, I should get away from you..." she started.

"No," he whispered, bringing her closed. "You may have infected my heart, but I can't help being happy about that. Being near you give me a different joy. One that I have never felt on the battlefield. One that I never knew I needed. Now that I have experience this…love, I don't want it to go away. I don't want you to go away."

They stared at each other for several seconds, lost in thought.

"So...where do we go from here?" Gine questioned.

He grabbed her shoulders. "Stay in the army until your year is up. Then, you can go back to Planet Vegeta. There...we can build a life together."

She jolted in shock. "You...you can't serious!? Are you talking about us bonding? That hasn't been done in generations!"

He smiled. "Then it's past due."

She shook her head. "This is crazy! Bardock, think of the consequences. If you bond with a reject, you will never be taking seriously. Everything you worked and strived for will be for nothing! It wouldn't be fair to Tora, Fasha, Borgos, and Shugesh!" She looked down. "And...think of your bloodline. Your children...they will be tainted by my blood. They may all be born as rejects!"

Bardock snorted and rolled his eyes. "Why would I give a damn about how my children turned out? And my crew will understand. If me getting with you causes the upper crust to go crazy, good. I'll make it to the top no matter who I chose to associate with."

"But Bardock..." She was cut off when he suddenly kissed her.

It was awkward at first since neither one of them had ever kissed anyone in their lives, not even their own parents. Yet, the awkwardness soon gave way to a warm feeling spreading through both of them.

It was nothing like anything Bardock had ever experience. He couldn't remember ever having such a gentle touch. And...it felt good. Very good. It made him feel at eased and for the first time in his life, at peace.

Without either one of them knowing it, their tails wrapped around each other, sending more lightning sensations through their bodies.

Before long, nature took its course and they remained on that cliff side for the rest of the night, under the broken moon.

* * *

 **And with that, Bardock and Gine are officially a couple, finally. It was a long time coming and I hope everything felt natural since romance is not my strong point, especially with two complete opposites. It was tough trying to make Gine a physically a weak person, but also strong. You may get into trouble a lot, but it's more because she's way over her head than her being incompetent. We also get to see other characters from the Dragon World, which is always fun to write.**

 **The question is, where does the story go from here. We will get into some familiar territory, but it won't be quite the same as you remember it. So, look forward to future chapters.**

 **My Guest reviewer, thank you for your feedback. Episode of Bardock has no bearings on this story, so Bardock will not be sent back in time to become a Super Saiyan. Plus, Gine isn't a warrior and never wants to be, which is part of her development as a character.**

 **Cereza, thank you for your review. She was confused because she wants to stay by Bardock's side, but hates being a burden along with other issues with being a Saiyan. Bardock, of course, stops her from going through with it since he feels the same. And, technically, it wasn't the planet blowing up that killed Bardock. More like Frieza's Death Ball vaporizing his body.**

 **My other Guest reviewer, thank you for your feedback. He does love Gine and their relationship is not just platonic. At the same time, Bardock, as he says in this chapter, doesn't care how his kids turn out. Bardock is still very selfish and self-center, so having weak kids doesn't bother him that much since he has no plans to bond with them anyway. If his kids are born strong, he may show some interest, but not enough to be considered a good father. As for Bardock's crew, they are an understanding bunch and will be happy that their commander found happiness. They also like Gine well enough and are understanding of her 'disability'.**

 **Dark princess, thank you for your review. I am going to assume that your review got cut off, but I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **With all that said, until next chapter.**


	11. Firstborn

**Somehow managed to get this chapter out while out of town. I guess I was in the mood to edit since this is a big chapter. As always, thank you all for your reviews, favorites, and follows. Your support helps me to improve the story.**

 **Now, onward to the chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Firstborn**

* * *

Gine groaned uncomfortably as she attempted to get comfortable. She knew it was all in vain since she hasn't been comfortable in months. She hardly remembered what it was like not to be in pain. It was one of the many 'joys' of being pregnant.

She hated it.

She now understood why women avoided mating. The men get all the pleasure and leave, while the females were left holding a growing sack of meat in their bodies for several months. Nature was so unfair. Little wonder men were seen as the better sex.

She sighed as she looked out the window of her apartment, staring at the setting sun. She's been back on Vegeta for over two months now. It was standard practice for a woman to return when they were two months due. After all, it wasn't good for a woman to give birth on some distance planet or a war zone. Not only would that put the woman in grave danger, the baby could also die. As low as the Saiyan population was, along with the high death rate, healthy babies were valued fairly highly, even if the child was treated like crap by their fathers.

She frowned.

Babies were the future soldiers of the Saiyan Empire. Like her, they would be born in blood and expected to fight and kill, rather they wanted to or not. If her child was like her, they were in for a hard life. However, the chances of that happening were extremely low since even those with the 'reject' gene could still grow up to be 'proper' Saiyans with the right education and training.

The Saiyans have developed very effective methods of driving out any compassion and feelings from their children, even if they were born with soft hearts. Their methods have only improved in time, especially after being brought into Frieza's army. She and a few others were outliers, abnormal even among rejects.

She grabbed her head.

The education she received was still fresh in her head even now and rung through her thoughts when she entered battle.

When she was younger, she tried to obey the lessons that had been embedded into her head. She killed mercilessly, but every life she took made her physically sick and she didn't understand why. She was a Saiyan. She was supposed to enjoy the thrill of the hunt and the cries of battle.

And yet...she hated every second of it. There wasn't anything she enjoyed about fighting. Her commanders and comrades saw that and mocked her endlessly for it...until she came into Bardock's crew.

She smiled as she thought of her husband.

She wondered how he and the others were doing. She knew that they were all fine, despite fighting on some far off planet with powerful warriors. They were all too strong to die. Still, she couldn't help but wonder if they were taking care of themselves. Especially Bardock who had the habit of coming out of most of his battles half-dead. Coming back from near death may make them stronger, but one of these days he was going to run out of luck.

She patted he tummy. She half wondered if Bardock would return to see their child.

It wasn't likely. No Saiyan ever returned home to see the birth of their child. Even if Bardock and she were officially bonded, he still wouldn't care about their baby. When they did communicate, he never once mentioned her pregnancy. He treated her current state like an illness and expressed several times how he expected her to return to the crew and finished her year.

It was really, _really_ annoying. She was about to bring a new life into the world, and Bardock couldn't even pretend to care. Perhaps she was hoping for too much out of the man. As loving as Bardock has been towards her, she couldn't picture him as a father. Then again...she couldn't pictured _any_ Saiyan being a father, at least not in the way she has seen other species rear their children.

She wondered if she would be a good mother... She shook her head at the thought.

What did it matter? Even if she stayed on Vegeta to raise their child, they'd spend their first years in an incubator before either being send out as a frontier baby or sent to train as an elite. Either way, she wouldn't be able to be a parent.

Perhaps it was best that way. She wouldn't be able to teach their child anything other than how to be weak.

She suddenly felt a strong surge of pain shoot through her body, nearly causing her to double over. It was the strongest one yet and they were coming more frequently. It was expected, she was scheduled to give birth tomorrow, and she was looking forward to finally getting this baby out of her. She was seriously contemplating having her tubes tied so wouldn't go this misery ever again.

A buzzing reached her ears, causing her to jump. She looked over towards the computer and realized it was her communicator. Only one person would bother to call her.

She smiled as she walked over towards the computer and pressed the answer key. "Hello, Bardock."

"Heh, you don't seem so surprise to hear from me," Bardock answered over the line with humor in his voice.

Gine smiled, although she knew Bardock couldn't see it. "Should I be?"

Bardock chuckled. "I guess not."

"How are things?" Gine asked.

"Same as usual. Finished clearing off the trash on this planet. A bunch of weaklings. Hardly worth our time," Bardock answered. He sounded utterly bored.

"So that means you will be traveling soon," Gine said.

"Yep. Should be going to our next assignment tomorrow," Bardock replied.

She frowned when she heard that. "I...I was hoping you would come home."

"Why?" he asked.

She sighed to herself. As expected. "Our baby is due to be born tomorrow. I thought you would like to see them."

"Oh..." There was a slight pause. "Completely forgot about that."

Gine shook her head. "I should have figured you would."

"I don't see why you're making such a big deal of it," Bardock said with an edge of annoyance. "Once you get that little meat sack out, you can finally return to duty. Maybe you can even join us on our next assignment. It's another easy one, so you should be able to handle it."

She inwardly cringed at how dismissive her husband was being. "I guess it was too much."

"Too much for what?" Bardock asked.

"It's nothing," Gine said, trying to drop the subject.

There was a loud sighed from the other side. "Don't tell me. You want to raise the child."

She became extremely uncomfortable. "I...I know it's close to impossible...but yes. I mean, since my term will be up in another month once I rejoin you, I think I want to raise our child."

He gave another loud sighed. "I swear, you're just like Fasha. What is up with you women wanting to raise your children? The medical center is more than capable of taking care of them before they're ready to be sent off."

"That isn't the point," Gine said more forcibly than he meant to. She quickly calmed down. "I just want our child to know their parents, something we never had. And...if they does turn out like me, they will need guidance. Someone they can talk to who can understand them."

"Yeah, I guess," Bardock said in a very bored and dismissive tone. "Still don't see the point. You turned out mostly fine. I'm sure they'll be fine. They have my blood within them, after all."

Why did she even bother? He wouldn't understand. She didn't want her child to be raised by doctors and machines before being thrown out into the universe and expected to kill everything that wasn't a Saiyan. It was cold, impersonal way to be brought into the world. Especially when you're born different compared to everyone else.

"But enough about the baby," Bardock said, his voice suddenly became softer and more tender. "How have you been doing?"

She smiled at the changed of subject. "I've been fine for the most part. Just tired and sore."

"That's good to know," he said. "I don't envy you women. Must be tough for you to carry those things for several months."

She unconsciously rubbed her stomach. "It can get bad, but will thankfully be over soon."

"Thank god for that," Bardock said. "I've missed you."

"Bardock, even when I do return I will only have a month left before I retire," she pointed out. "Our time together will be short."

"It doesn't matter," Bardock replied. "The team isn't the same without you. Fasha really misses you too since she doesn't have another woman to talk to."

"Glad to know that I'm loved," Gine replied in a playful tone.

She was truly touched. No crew has ever given two shits about her before. She was the load and most wished she would just die. Some even resent her for just being born. Not Bardock and his crew. Despite her weaknesses, they treated her like she's been on the crew for years. She only wished she had met them sooner. Her life would have been so much more bearable and maybe….she could stand all the fighting better. She supposed better late than never.

"Well, I got to go. Gotta turn in early since we're leaving in the morning," Bardock said.

She nodded. "Do try to be careful. I don't want hear about you being in the healing tank again."

He chuckled. "Of course. And if makes you feel better, I'll wreck the next planet extra hard in celebration of our new baby."

She recoiled a bit, but still smiled at the gestured. This was just Bardock's way of being romantic and being somewhat accepting of their incoming child. It was the most she could ask for.

"You're too kind to me. I'm sure the baby will appreciate the gesture from his father," Gine said, not voicing any of her thoughts.

"Talk to you later." With that, the line cut off.

Gine leaned back into her chair and placed her hand on her stomach. "You have such a good father."

He may not be ideal by most species' standards, but she was certain that Bardock would take some interest in their child. Especially if their child a low or even a mid-tier Saiyan. If they were, Bardock would feel incline to train them to rise up the ranks.

She knew she was being too hopeful. Chances were, this child would be at best a lower class warrior like Bardock and her. They simply didn't come from a strong gene pool, especially with her genes flowing through them. Bardock was an oddball outlier that didn't count.

Well, she was going to find out either way tomorrow and she should get some rest. She was going to need all her strength to get this thing out of her.

* * *

Planthorr overlooked the young Saiyan woman who lay on the medical bed. From all the blood tests, she was healthy and in excellent condition. A far cry from the girl who nearly died almost a year ago. Only a small scar remained from her near-death experience.

"Looks like everything is ready," Planthorr told his partner, Malaka, who was a short lizard-like alien with an orange mihawk. Like him, he was stationed to Planet Vegeta by Lord Frieza to oversee the care of the Saiyan population.

Normally, Lord Frieza would only provide medical care to his most elite soldiers on one of the Frieza Planets. The Saiyans were given special exception since even the weakest of them were powerful warriors, therefore useful to the Trade Empire. And the Saiyans weren't exactly known for their medical care. There was ongoing joke among the Frieza Force that a Saiyan doctor was an oxymoron. Saiyans only knew how to fight and die.

That wasn't completely true since there were Saiyan doctors. They just weren't particularly good since they lacked proper training, resources, and doctors were seen as a joke profession among the Saiyans. Anyone who got hurt and didn't survive on their own will was seen as weak and didn't deserve to live. Weeding out the worthless they called it.

It was a careless and stupid practice, which only made the Saiyans as a whole weaker since they tended to leave their strongest to die. The lower class Saiyans understood this, which was why they had such a decent survival rate despite being weak. They actually helped one another instead of the every men for themselves approach practiced by the mid to elite class Saiyans.

Then again, low to lower class Saiyans worked in teams, while mid to elite class tended to work alone. One of the few exceptions was King Vegeta who always traveled with a team. There was reason why he was the oldest Saiyan on the planet on top of being the king.

"Okay, Gine, we're ready to induce labor," Malaka informed the young Saiyan. "I should warn you, it will be painful."

She nodded. "I'm just ready to get this baby out of me before I need to start charging it rent."

Malaka chuckled as he injected a needle into her right arm. Her eyes widened and she attempted to hold back a scream.

Planthorr shook his head in mild amusement.

After all she's been through in her short life, how could a tiny needle scare her? But the Saiyans strangely seemed to have phobias that ranged from fear of insects, worms, to being afraid of the dark. He knew Bardock in particular was deathly afraid of rats and King Vegeta hated cats. It was a strange quirk of the race that wasn't widely known.

"There, that wasn't so bad," Malaka said as he gently disinfect the needle wound.

Gine glared at him. "You could have warned me."

"I know about your fear of needles," Malaka answered nonchalantly as he looked at the monitor. "You're already showing signs of dilatation. This baby is almost as eager as you to be born."

Gine shifted bed. "Well, that makes it easier for both of us."

"It's ashamed that Bardock is away," Planthorr said.

Malaka started as his partner. "Even if he wasn't away, he wouldn't come to the birth of his child. They never come."

Planthorr sighed. "True..."

He hated to admit it, but he spent more time with the babies born on this planet then their parents. He thought Bardock would be different since he actually formed a bond with Gine, and this wasn't just a hit and run pregnancy. But he supposed at the end of the day, Bardock was still a Saiyan. They simply didn't form parental bonds.

The pregnancy went on for several grueling hours with Gine panting and groaning in pain. She kept wanting to push, despite the doctors telling her otherwise.

"Oh come on! Aren't I ready yet!" Gine almost screamed as another contraction hit her.

"You're almost there," Malaka assured as he continued to look over the monitor. "Another two centimeters and you will be fully dilated. Just keep up with those breathing exercises."

Gine groaned. "You would think with all this fancy technology, it would make given birth easier."

"Even science has its limits." Planthorr attempted to calm her.

Truthfully, they probably could make childbirth easier, but it wasn't something Lord Frieza would invest in. They were lucky to have the advancements they did have in this field.

It took another hour before Gine was finally ready.

"Okay, Gine. On my count, push," Malaka ordered as Planthorr got into position to catch the baby.

She braced herself as another contraction overtook her.

"Push!" Malaka exclaimed.

She let out a loud scream as she pushed on Malaka's command.

"Again!" Malaka yelled as another scream tore through her along with some colorful language.

"You're doing well," Planthorr said. "I can see the head."

"Get ready to push again," Malaka stated.

It took several more times, but Gine finally managed to push newborn out of her. The second the baby was out, she collapsed onto the bed.

Malaka quickly went to get a wet towel and wiped Gine's face. "You did good. You did very good," he smoothed.

Planthorr cut the umbilical cord and cleaned the afterbirth from the baby's body. "Congratulation. It's a boy."

Gine smiled tiredly. "Kind...kinda figured he would be."

Planthorr gently messaged the baby until it began to cry. Once he was sure the baby was cleaned and healthy, he placed the newborn into Gine's arms.

She gently wrapped her arms around her son and smiled tenderly at him. His hair was long, almost like hers. His skin tone, however, was closer to his father and his face also had Bardock's hardness. She could tell just by looking that he wasn't like her. He was a born warrior.

"He seems to be a perfect mix of both mother and father," Malaka mused.

Planthorr nodded. "Are you going name him, Gine?"

She thought about the question. Normally, the doctors were allowed to name any Saiyan child since the parents usually didn't care. But, she already had a name in mind. "I think I will call him, Raditz."

"Raditz? After your father? That's unusual," Planthorr noted.

She gently stroked her son's head. "I've never met him. But...I owe him. I owe him for not choking me out of existence when he learned that I was a reject."

Malaka rubbed his head. "I guess that's a good of reason as any to name a child after someone."

Gine cuddle the baby and smiled. "Yes, you're Raditz. My precious baby boy."

Planthorr smiled at the tender scene. Sights like these were extremely rare. To see a mother actually care about her baby warmed his heart and reminded him why he became a doctor. It made him almost forget that he worked for a galactic murderer.

Malaka walked over to the new mother. "We need to take Raditz for testing and his surgery."

The reminder of the surgery made Planthorr drop his smile. He had almost forgotten about it. All newly born Saiyan babies were taking in to have the universal translator inserted into their brains.

Every species within the Frieza Force communicated using scouters. Not only were the devices used to read power levels and to talk to other team members, but it also worked as a translator for more than a thousand languages that spanned the universe. Still, it was a requirement for everyone within Frieza's army to learn the universal language since scouters could be destroyed or damaged.

Saiyans, however, hated depending on the scouters to understand different languages and refused to learn the universal language, preferring their own native speech. So, they chose to have the translator installed directly into their heads. That way, they could continue to speak their native tongue and be understood by Frieza's empire. It was the same procedure Lord Frieza and his top generals underwent.

It was an invasive and highly dangerous surgery that had mortality rate of two out of every three babies. But the Saiyans didn't care. According to them, if a baby died during surgery, they were weak anyway.

It was a tradition that sickened him, especially given how unnecessary cruel it was. If the Saiyans only waited until their children grew up to adults, the mortality rate would only be five percent. But they just couldn't wait and chose to gamble the lives of their children.

Gine stared at Malaka. She also understood the risk of the surgery.

"We don't have to go through with it," Planthorr spoke. "We can wait until he reaches adulthood."

Gine shook her head. "No. That's okay. Raditz is Bardock's son. He will live."

Planthorr sighed, disappointed by Gine's decision. "If you insist."

Malaka carefully took the baby from Gine's arms. "You should rest. I'll wake you up when Raditz is all set up."

She smiled and nodded before closing her eyes. Within seconds, she was out.

"I can't believe that she wants Raditz to go through with the surgery," Planthorr said as he followed Malaka into the next room.

"Why? At the end of the day she is still a Saiyan, even if she is a reject," Malaka stated as he placed Raditz in a small chamber that would read his power level. "She was educated the same just like the rest of them."

Planthorr folded his arms as he looked down at the helpless baby. "Perhaps, but I wanted avoid taking him into surgery. Even though we have gotten better at the procedure, it is still very dangerous."

Malaka hummed. "Yeah, but it is highly practical. With the translator hooked directly into the brain, they can understand almost any language instantly. No need to learn the universal language."

Planthorr shook his head. "But doing it when they're still babies is too young."

"I agree, but that isn't my call," Malaka said as he finally got a reading on Raditz's power level. "Well, not surprising. His parents are lower class soldiers, after all."

Planthorr turned towards his partner. "That low?"

"Power level of six," Malaka answered.

Planthorr nodded his head. "Right where Bardock was born at."

Malaka opened up the chamber. "Perhaps he will rate better on the potential test once he's out of the incubator." Although his tone of voice said he didn't really believe that.

"I think both of us can agree that the tests are not always accurate, especially the ones taking at birth," Planthorr stated.

"If you are talking about Bardock and his crew, we both know that they are standouts, especially Bardock," Malaka replied. "No one in their families outside of them broke their limits. So, it is not genetic."

Planthorr said nothing as he stroked his beard.

Malaka wasn't wrong. Out of Bardock's entire family, he was the only one who broke his limits and became far stronger than the potential test had outlined. Chances were, Raditz wouldn't come out any differently compared to the rest of Bardock's family. But he didn't want to dismiss him. Not yet. Seeing warriors like Bardock and the others made him really questioned their current testing system.

Then again, maybe they were just abnormal outliers and shouldn't be seriously considered.

Then there was, of course, his mother's side. The blood of a reject, a bloodline considered cursed by Saiyan society. And yet, if Raditz was like his mother, his potential could outpace any known Saiyan.

He looked at Raditz and frowned. No...he may become powerful, but he lacked that spark that his mother had. There was an inner gentleness like her, but he could also feel the bloodlust of the Saiyans. He definitely had more of his father than mother.

"I will get Raditz ready for surgery," Malaka spoke, interrupting Planthorr's thoughts. He took the baby out of the chamber. "I guess you could message Bardock about the birth of his son. Although I doubt he will care."

Planthorr nodded as he went towards the communicator. He may not care, but he was going to tell him about his new son.

* * *

Bardock stretched his sore muscles as he overlooked the carnage he brought. Nothing was left alive on the planet. Another world cleared and ready for Frieza to sell. Although he wondered who would buy this dump. Desert planets weren't exactly highly desirable. Most likely, this was just going to be another outpost world. Which did make sense since it did boarder two highly prized galaxies. It would make a good launching location for future attacks.

"Well, that was uneventful," Tora said as he ate his rations. "The natives barely put up a fight."

Shugesh yawned. "Yeah. How boring. I hope Frieza gives us some better work soon or else I'll keel over from having nothing to do."

"I guess they're given us easy work lately after we'd so many tough assignments this past year," Fasha speculated. "Give us the chance to relax a little before we get the really big stuff again. We did just barely survive that entire mess in the Delta Galaxy. It was only thanks to King Vegeta and the other elites that we made it through our last tough mission."

Bardock sneered. He hated being reminded about how King Vegeta and Frieza's attack dogs had to bail their butts out.

Tora nodded. "I can believe it. Gives us something to do without sending us home. Take down a dinky planet here and there before sending us to the next death trap."

Fasha looked towards Bardock and smiled. "So Bardock, was it just me or was you more excited than usual. For such a small assignment, you really got into it."

Bardock glared at his teammate. "What are you getting at?"

Shugesh snickered. "I think she's suggesting that you're overly happy because you were celebrating the birth of you new son. To think, not only did you bond with Gine, but you got her pregnant the first go around."

Bardock snorted as he turned his back on his crew. "Nonsense. I'm just looking forward to seeing Gine again. I could careless about the child she shot out."

Fasha frowned at him. "That's kinda cold. You shouldn't speak about your child like that."

"That child is worthless to me," Bardock spoke as he shook his head. "A lower class Saiyan... Utterly worthless."

"It was the same with my little shit," Borgos said. "I know how you feel."

Fasha shook her head, disgusted by her comrade's words. "Both of you are being too dismissive." She looked at her leader. "But you should see the little guy eventually. At least give him the chance to prove himself."

Bardock snorted.

Perhaps he should give his firstborn child a chance. He could have some potential. He wouldn't be tested again until he was out of the incubator. But he was certain that he was just setting himself up for disappointment.

But...seeing his son would make Gine happy. Even if it was a weakling, at the very least he would keep his mother company once she retired.

"Okay, that's enough fooling around," Bardock spoke up. "Let's move out. We have another job that needs to be done by the end of this week."

The crew gave a cheer of joy, ready for their next battle.

* * *

 **And her is baby Raditz. So cute and innocent. So different from the jerkass we all know and love. This chapter was also interesting since Bardock made no appearance and we got more insight into Planthorr, which is always fun. We also learned that Bardock will win no father of the year rewards. But I'm sure you saw that coming.**

**Dark princess, thank you for your review. I think you may still have some problems since your second review was cut off from some reason. The power ball line was only in the original Ocean dub, not the redone Funi dub or the original Japanese text. The Ocean dub had a lot of oddball lines in it.**

 **Cereza, thank you for your feedback. I always love the idea of Saiyans wrapping their tails around each other as a sign affection. I am glad Bardock's feelings came out as realistic, especially given the type of guy he is.**

 **My Guest Reviewer, thank you for your review. That sounds like an interesting story, although I am not much into crossovers. Although there are exceptions.**

 **With all that said, until next chapter.**


	12. Education

**Here is the next chapter, prime and ready for your reading enjoyment. Thank you for your reviews and your support so far. Glad so many of your are enjoying the story.**

 **Now, to the story.**

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Education**

* * *

He floated in a warm liquid, cut off from the outside world.

He'd been here as long as he could remember. Since the time he grow a conscious, this has been his world. When he opened his eyes, all he saw was clear liquid and lights. Now and then he would see people wearing white robes with armor, but they only came a few times a day before leaving. The only constant person he saw was a woman with dark messy hair and a soft face.

She called herself his mother.

His 'mother' seemed nice enough. She would come over and talked to him about stuff like his 'father', her day, and how he would soon be out of this incubator.

Outsider of her visits, it was mostly lonely. Although he had the voices to keep him company, all they did was tell him stuff, not actually talk to him. From the little he understood about the world, the voices were the reasons why he understood so much, like him being a Saiyan, the greatest race in the universe and how he was destined to fight for the glory of the Saiyan empire and the royal family. There was a bunch of other information like how the Saiyans worked for someone named Lord Frieza who oversaw the daily operation of the something called the Trade Empire.

It was all quite confusion. Yet, it all made sense at the same time.

As a Saiyan, it was his duty to purged planets of its inhabitants and get them ready for sell. Something about that used to make his stomach turn, especially when he was bombard with images of people dying in gruesome and cruel ways. It used to give him nightmares. In time, though, the images stopped bothering him so much. He even found some of the deaths to be somewhat amusing.

Besides, as the voices told him, the deaths he was seeing were from lesser beings. Species who were inferior to those of the mighty Saiyans. They died because they were weak and in this universe, the strong feeds upon the weak. The Saiyans were strong; therefor they fed on the feeble to become stronger.

A beeping got his attention. He had never heard it before for as long as he'd been here.

"He's finally ready," someone spoke. It was one of those 'doctors' who often hovered around his incubator.

"Tell Gine."

Gine? That was his mother's name, correct? So, he was getting out today? It was odd since this has been his home. He didn't feel ready to leave. Was he really ready to serve the king and bring honor to his people? It all felt overwhelming.

All too soon, he felt the liquid within the chamber being drained, causing him to shiver from the lost of warmth. Once it was all gone, the glass around him opened, exposing him to the air from the outside world.

He coughed, not used to it. He had become accustomed to breathing in the liquid from his incubator. His eyes also burn, getting used to all the bright lights. He felt something being pulled from his neck and within seconds, the voices that have been keeping him company all this time were gone.

He already missed them.

"Hello, Raditz," someone spoke.

He looked up to see the woman who saw him every day.

She smiled. "Do you know who I am?"

The word came into his head before he could even think about it. "Mother..."

Her smiled grew wider. "Good. You know me."

One of the doctors picked him up and placed him on what appeared to be some type of bed. The doctor felt over his body, checked the inside of his mouth, and stroked his tail, causing him to wince.

"He seems healthy," the doctor observed.

Another doctor, who looked like a type of lizard, hovered over him. "What is your name, boy?"

"Raditz," he answered without thinking again.

The man nodded his head. "Do you know what you are?"

"A Saiyan, the greatest warrior race in the universe," he spoke again without any thought. It was like the information had been embedded into his head. "We live to serve the king and Lord Frieza."

"It seems the education process has gone smoothly and the universal translator is working properly," the other doctor stated.

His mother had what appeared to be a sadden expression on her face. Why? Did he say something wrong?

"Let's get him tested," one of the doctors said as he picked up again and placed into another chamber.

It was all confusion, but something in the back of his mind told him that he was being tested for his power level. This would determine if he was going to be classified as a low or high class Saiyan. If he were low, he would be sent to a frontier planet to build up his strength. An infiltration baby they called them. If he were high, he would be sent to a special school to train to better serve the king.

"Hmm, higher than I expected given his parentage," the lizard doctor said. "Looks like he's within range to be consider a low class Saiyan."

"That is very good," the other doctor replied. He sounded extremely please.

"Yeah. His battle potential is much higher than I expected. Still, he needs to be sent to one of the outer planets," the lizard doctor concluded as his chamber was reopened.

His mother frowned. "I was hoping he could stay here with me. Since he's high enough to be classified as a low class warrior, he can train with the other children on the planet."

"It really isn't standard practice for a low class Saiyan to stay on Vegeta. Then again, most Saiyans are not raised by their parents," the doctor noted.

"He still needs to gain experience fighting on other worlds and there is a shortage of fighters," the lizard doctor said. "But I do think it is best for him to train with other Saiyans and gain experience from them. After all, being an infiltration baby is highly dangerous."

His mother nodded. "Yes, I think that would be for the best."

As he took in what was happening around him, he began to understand why his mother was worried. Infiltration babies had an _extremely_ low survival rate. Only one in ten returned from their assignments.

Although he understood his mother's concerns, a part of him felt insulted. He was a Saiyan. He wouldn't die like the other trash sent to those far off planets. He was among the strong.

"In either case, let's get him into his armor," the doctor said as he picked him up and took him into the next room.

Within a few minutes, he was dressed in black armor with long pale yellow shoulder pads and leg guards. The armor fit perfectly with his frame, almost like it was made for him. The jumpsuit under the armor was short sleeves and shorts, which left his arms and legs bare. He didn't mind. He didn't think he would like having his legs and arms covered.

"He looks just like his father," his mother whispered as she looked him over.

"He may have Bardock's face, but that is definitely your hair," one of the doctors mused.

He looked into a nearby mirror and saw what the doctor meant. His hair was long and wild, much like his mom's. Her hair was shorter, though, coming only down to her shoulders, while his went down to his tail. Perhaps he should consider cutting it.

"I think we are done here," the doctor said. "If you have any questions, you know where to find us."

His mother bowed graciously. "Thank you for taking care of him all this time. It's nice to finally bring him home."

"Just take care of yourself, Gine. I shouldn't have to tell you that Saiyan babies tend to be on the wild side," the doctor warned.

"I maybe weaker than most Saiyans, but I won't let my own child push me around," his mother assured as she firmly grabbed him by the hand and led him out of the medical center.

The minute he stepped out of the building, he was nearly blinded by the sun. The heat and the brightness nearly brought him to his knees.

His mother knelt down in front of him and grabbed his shoulder pads. "Sorry. I forgot that it would take you a few minutes to get used to the brightness. You were in that dim incubator for three years."

Three years? Was that how long he's been in there? A part of him knew that, but it was still surprising to hear.

He blinked several times as he adjusted to the light.

As he looked at the world around him, he realized how red everything was. The soil, the rocks, even the sky was red. And it was hot. The medical center was cold compared to his cozy incubator, but this wasn't something he was used to.

The voices told him that Planet Vegeta was a harsh place where only the strongest survived. Which was why they were the victors when they fought the Truffles and took their world. Still, he didn't expect Vegeta to be so...ugly. There was literally nothing appealing about the world. Surely the great Saiyans could find a better planet than this dump. How did the weakling Truffles live here?

"Are your eyes okay now?" the gentle voice of his mother reached his ears.

He rubbed his eyes and nodded.

His mom took him by his hand again and led him towards what he assumed was home. On the way he saw several other Saiyans walking the streets. Some appeared drunk, given the reddish tint on their cheeks and their bizarre behavior. Other seemed to be ready to head out since they were heading towards the launching area.

Strange. This was the first time he was seeing anything, yet he knew where everything was. He could probably navigate the entire planet in his sleep.

"Hey Gine, is that your little boy?"

They both stopped walking as several adult Saiyans approached them.

"Yes," his mom answered, she squeezed his hand harder.

"Wow, so he's out of the incubator already. I bet he's glad to be finally out of that thing," one of them joked.

"So, what's his rank?" one of them asked curiously.

"He's a low class," his mom replied in a somewhat low voice.

This made the Saiyans laughed. "I guess that's as good as you should expect. He _is_ the son of a lower class warrior, after all. He also should be thankful that he didn't get any of your genes, outside the hair."

His mom's eyes narrowed, but said nothing.

What did they mean by that? What was wrong with his mom's genes?

"So, when is he going to be sent off?" one of the Saiyans asked.

His mom put a hand on his shoulder. "He's not being sent out until he gets a proper team."

One of the men folded his arms. "Well, aren't you a mother hen. Given his birth, being sent to a frontier planet would be good for him."

"Don't bother," one of them said, before smirking. "She wouldn't understand. Being a reject and all."

Reject?

His mind raced to remember what that word meant. He recalled the voices telling him that a reject was a Saiyan who didn't like to fight because they had a tainted bloodline. They were descendants of pacifists. Worthless, soft-hearted failures, who were unfit to be called Saiyans.

Was his mom one of them? Did that mean he was also a reject?

"He's strong enough to be train here and be put on a team without being sent to some far off planet to fend for himself," his mom replied in a firm voice, unmoved by their comments.

"Hey well, it's your kid, you can do whatever you want with them," the Saiyan dismissed as they began to walk away. "Just don't cry when he turns out to be a little pussy. Like you."

This made the other Saiyans laughed as they left.

She rolled her eyes at them as they finally made their way home.

The living quarters were very small, looked to barely fit two people. But it didn't matter. Most Saiyans didn't stay home long. Most spent their entire lives in space. He didn't blame them. He would rather stare at the empty void of space than this crappy planet.

"Welcome home," his mom said kindly. "It isn't much, but you will be living here until you're old enough to join a team."

He wasn't that interested in the living quarters. The words of those Saiyans on the street were still ringing in his head.

"Mom, are you reject?" he asked bluntly.

She flinched at his questioned before sighing. "Those would be one of the first words out of your mouth."

"That's what those guys called you," he went on. "A reject is a Saiyan who doesn't have any fighting spirit. They're considered trash."

She gave him a sad smile. "Yes. That is true."

He stared hard at her. "And you're one of them."

"Yes," she answered without hesitation.

He frowned. "Then...why were you allowed to live?"

In all his teachings, he was told that rejects were usually banished or killed off. How could his mom be one of them, yet not only alive, but allowed to have children? The Saiyans didn't want their race tainted with dirty blood.

"Some rejects do survive. We just tend to keep our heads down and our mouths close," she explained in a calm voice. "For me, I was lucky enough to find a wonderful man in your father who takes care of me." She smiled tenderly. "He doesn't care that I'm a reject."

"Is he a reject too?" he asked. He couldn't imagine any normal Saiyan being with his mom.

She shook her head. "No. He's a true Saiyan warrior who is fighting on the front lines even as we speak. He is extremely strong, despite being born a lower class soldier. He's unlike any Saiyan you will ever meet."

He was having a hard time processing this. His mom was a reject, but his father accepted her, and he was a powerful warrior despite being classified as dirt class. This wasn't part of his teachings.

"Do you have a problem with having a mother as a reject?" she asked. She sounded...scared. But Saiyans felt no fear. Was this a quirk of being a reject?

Nonetheless, he thought about the question. Did he begrudge his mom being a reject? His teachings told him that he _should_ since she was a disgrace to the Saiyans. But she was also his mom. She saw him everyday as he floated in his incubator and told him stories. He enjoyed those moments. So, he couldn't bring himself to hate her, despite knowing that she wasn't a true Saiyan.

"I...I don't know," he answered after several seconds of thought.

She smiled sadly. "I guess you would be confused. You were educated very well."

She sounded...angry. Was she upset about what he had been taught? That didn't seem right. He was only taught basic facts about the universe. There was nothing wrong about what he's been told. Was it?

But there was another question that needed to be asked.

"Am I a reject like you?" he asked. The idea that he wasn't a real Saiyan terrified him.

"I doubt it," she answered. "The gene is recessive."

He breathed a sigh of relief. Thank the gods. He didn't want to be wimp like his mom.

"But that's enough questions. You must be hungry. Why don't I fix you dinner," his mom stated.

He perked up at the mentioned of food. He had never eating before, but he knew of it. It was supposed to be a pleasant experience.

And that information was proven very correct as he finished the last of his dinner. He felt fill of energy as he licked his lips. His mom may be a reject, but could she cook, especially the meat.

"If you're finished eating, you need to get ready for bed," she said. "You have school tomorrow."

He tilted his head. "But I don't need school. I've already been told everything."

"You've been told basic information, but you still need learn how to fight in an actual battle. Not just theories," she stated.

He took in her words. She was right. He knew the theory of fighting, but he never practiced any of them. He wasn't even sure of his body's limits. This wouldn't do if he wanted to be a true warrior.

"Now, off to bed with you," she firmly ordered.

He followed her orders, for now. He wasn't strong enough yet to challenge her, even if she was a failure of a warrior. But, one day he would be. There was no way he was going to fall behind a reject. Even if she was his mother.

* * *

The morning came too quickly and he felt himself sluggishly dragging himself out of bed. He wasn't used to getting up. In his precious incubator he could sleep as long as he wanted. There wasn't anything else to do, after all, besides listening to the voices and that got boring after a while.

It only took him a few minutes to wolfed down breakfast before they were off to the training center. He could easily find his way there, but his mom insisted that she came with him for some reason. He didn't mind too much. He was rather fond of her company, despite himself.

When they got to the training center, they were already four to five other kids there. They all seemed to be around the same age as him. From the looks on their faces, they were also freshly out of the incubator like him.

"You can leave me right here," he told his mom. The last thing he wanted was his classmates seeing him with his mother.

Thankfully, his mom understood his feelings and left without a fuss. She told him if he needed anything that she would be at the meat plant.

What an odd place to work. She should be on the front lines with his father, not resting here carving meat. But people needed to eat too, so she was providing a crucial service. Just not the one he liked.

The instructor running the class, who was a big, burly man glared at him.

He returned the glare, refusing to back down.

"Raditz, correct?" the man said.

He nodded his head.

"Bardock's boy." He overlooked him before smiling. "You have the same unpleasant look as you father. That's good to see since we thought for sure you would be like your mom."

Raditz growled.

"Let's get started," the instructor said in a firm voice as he glared at the entire class. "By the time I'm finished with you bunch of pansies, you will know how to fight, how to survive, and how to kill like a true Saiyan."

Raditz narrowed his eyes in determination. He was ready to become a warrior. A warrior worthy of being called a Saiyan.

For the next several months, he trained. From early in the morning to late in the afternoon, he was worked to the bone. He was forced to survive in the harsh wilderness for several weeks with little food and water. He was regularly beating by his much stronger classmates and instructor, who constantly mocked him for being a low class and being the child of a reject. He was made to do training exercises until he was physically sick and still forced to keep going until he literally collapsed from exhaustion, which always ended with a severe beating from the instructor when he regained consciousness.

It was a hard and terrible several months to the point that he wondered if he was better off being sent to some frontier planet.

His mom tried to help him, but she could offer him no comfort. It was because he had her blood in his veins that he was made to suffer such humiliation. Being born to a lower class family was bad enough, but also being related to a reject just added to his misery.

He started to wonder if he truly had what it took to be a Saiyan warrior. At this rate, he was going to crack from the pressure.

"Another hard day at class," his mom noted as he picked at his food.

He snorted. "What was your first clue?"

She narrowed her eyes. "I understand how you feel, but that is _no_ excuse to give me lip."

"How can you understand?" he asked, slamming his fists down.

"I am the reject, remember? If they treat you harshly, how do you think they treated me?" she stated in a calm manner.

She did have a point.

He lowered his head in frustration. "How did you handle it?"

She smiled sadly. "I just took it one day at a time and I didn't let them see them get to me. That's what they want. They want to see you in pain and give up."

"Why?" he asked.

"For me, it's because they hated what I am. I am a disgraced Saiyan, a relic from the past that Saiyans want to forget," she answered. "For you, however, they're testing you. They want to see if you have want it takes to be a cold-hearted warrior. They want you to be able to kill your emotions."

"Kill my emotions," he repeated.

That would explained why they kept going after him until he felt like he was going to cry. He tried to hide it, but he knew they saw it and kept picking on him. He hated being so emotional over mere words.

"Maybe you should take a break from class," she offered. "You father is finally coming home for a few days."

He stared at her. "Why should I care about him?"

"For one, he's your father and two, he would be the person best able to help you," she said.

He snorted. "I doubt it."

"You won't know until you at least try," she replied.

She made another point. But…as a true Saiyan, he should be able to figure these things out for himself. At least, that was what the voices told him. But he was at lost about how to fix his current situation. Talking to the old man was probably the best solution, even if it did hurt his pride.

"Fine," he grumbled as he finally started to eat.

The next day came quickly and he stood next to his mom near the landing site. It was rare for this place to be used since almost no one came to this planet. Not that he could blame anyone. Once he got his assignments, he planned to never to come back here. He was already sick of looking at this world.

"Here they comes!" his mom exclaimed, barely holding in her excitement.

He looked up to see several specks in the sky. Within a few seconds, several attack balls landed, kicking up a sea of dust, making him cover his nose. His mom didn't seem to be bothered by the dust. He supposed she was used to it.

Once the dust had settled, he could hear the whoosh of the pods opening.

"Aw, it's good to be back!" he heard someone exclaimed.

"We haven't been gone that long. It's only been a little over two years," someone else said.

As his sight cleared, he saw three men and one woman walking towards them. He glanced at each of the men, trying to figure out which one of them was his father.

His mom suddenly left his side and went to embrace the man with the strange spiky hair. He guessed that was his dad.

"Welcome home, Bardock," she told him.

He gave a big, wolfish grin. "It's always good to be back when I get to see you."

Their tails wrapped around each other as they stared lovely into each other eyes. It was a sickening sweet sight. It almost made him want to gag.

"Huh, who's this squirt?"

He looked up to see the fattest of the Saiyans leaning over him.

"Oh, I'm being rude!" his mom exclaimed as she walked over towards him and gently patted his shoulders. "Everyone, this is Raditz. Bardock's son."

His father looked at him with mild interest. "Oh. This is my child. Huh, he definitely takes more after you."

"But he has your face," the taller Saiyan said as he bend to his level. "Yeah. He has the same look in his eyes as you. That, 'I'm going to prove myself', expression."

His father folded his arms. "I guess."

"Hey, let's give the family some space," the female Saiyan suddenly spoke up. "I'm sure Bardock wants to spend some quality time with his wife before we head out in a couple of days."

His mom frowned when she heard that. "You're only staying for a few days?"

"Afraid so. We already have our next assignment up. We only came back because we were near the area."

"Well, you two have fun," the taller Saiyan said with a big smile. "And try to make a good first expression with your son, Bardock."

His dad rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Within a few minutes, they were alone.

"Raditz, huh?" his father repeated his name as he stared at him. "He's just came out of the incubator a few weeks ago, right?"

His mother folded her arms and frowned. "He's been out of the incubator for seven months now."

His dad waved his hand. "Details, details."

He grunted. He already hated this man.

The small family began their walked into the main city.

"Truth of the matter, Raditz has been having some problems with school," his mother said, getting right to the point.

"What, is he having problems learning stuff?" his dad asked.

His mom shook her head. "No, it isn't that. He's actually a quick learner. The problem is that the instructor and students have been given him a hard time...given who his parents are."

His dad nodded. "I see."

"It's mostly mom," he spoke up. "Because she's a reject."

He didn't get the chance to say anything else before he got a hard smack on the head that knocked him to the ground.

"Bardock!" his mom exclaimed.

"Don't call you mom that," his dad sneered.

He glared at the old man. "What!? It's true! She even said so herself."

"Even if she is, you don't _ever_ call your mom a reject," his father growled. "If you even utter that word again, you have to deal with me and I'm not nice like your instructor."

His mom grabbed his father's arm. "That isn't necessary, Bardock."

His dad shook his head. "You shouldn't let him disrespect you like that. It's one thing for an elite or even the common bum to call you a reject, but you shouldn't take it from your child."

His mom lowered her head. "I guess..."

His father glared at him. "Now stand up and apologize to your mother."

He did what he was told, knowing that he couldn't stand up to his old man. "I'm sorry...mom."

His dad nodded in approval before they started walking again.

"What...what I was trying to say was that Raditz needs some guidance for school," his mother said, trying to get back to the original subject after a long awkward silence.

"There isn't much I can tell him. Those bastards always give us low class Saiyans a hard time since they see us as glorified cannon fodder," his father stated.

"But I don't want to be cannon fodder," he said. "I want to be an elite warrior able to serve the royal family and bring glory to the Saiyans."

His father glanced down at him. "Huh. I see their updated the program, unless he learned that in class."

His mom gave a sad smile. "It was upgraded. They did it ever since Prince Vegeta was born."

His father looked disgusted. "Yeah, they would want next generation to be loyal to that brat."

"Bardock!" his mother exclaimed before looking around, as if seeing if anyone heard them. "You know that's no way to speak about the Saiyan prince," she all but whispered.

His dad snorted. "He maybe the prince, but he's still a brat."

"That 'brat' was born with the highest power level ever recorded in Saiyan history. He is called the strongest Saiyan in a generation. Even Frieza himself has taking an interest in him," his mom stated.

"Like I care," his dad said in a dismissive tone.

He stared at his father.

On one hand, he enjoyed the curt manner in which he addressed Prince Vegeta. It told him that he feared no one, not even royalty.

At the same time, his teachings were screaming at him that this was no way to address their future ruler. Prince Vegeta was going to be their king one day and would be _the_ strongest Saiyan in existence. A lower class like his father had no right to speak about the future king in such a manner.

"But if you want to gain respect from those above you, your only option is to become stronger than them," his dad said, interrupting his thoughts.

This got his attention. "How?"

"Work harder than them. Prove to yourself and them that you're more than you are. Don't let the limits of your birth dictate the course of your life," his dad answered before staring at him. "You're a low class warrior. At the very least, you should be able to raise to a medium class."

This took him aback. Very few Saiyans rose beyond their birth rank, yet his dad made it sound like it was perfectly normal. Who was this man?

His mom nodded in agreement. "Listen to your father. He was born a lower class Saiyan and now he's one of the strongest Saiyans on the planet."

He side-eyed his mom. He highly doubt that was true. Maybe he was strong for his class, but one of the strongest on the planet, nonsense. Did they think he was gullible because he was still a child?

But his dad was right about one thing; he had to become stronger to gain respect. He was better than his parents since his mom was a reject and his dad was lower class warrior. He could easily surpass both of them.

"Why don't you go train or something, while I spend time with your mom," his father suddenly said as he moved away from him, taking his mom with him.

"Bardock..." his mom started.

"He will be fine," he dad assured his mom. "He needs to learn to take care of himself anyway."

She seemed to reluctantly agree. "Raditz, you take care of yourself and I expect you home by dinner."

He nodded in understanding. He didn't really want to be around them anyway. He went off to the side of building where his mother and he lived, and trained for the rest of the day.

For the time his dad was around, he sparred with him and tried to gain as much battle experience as he could out of the old man.

He had to admit, his father was better than could ever imagine. Nothing he did made his dad even flinch and the old man easily beat him into submission. It was so bad that he actually broke his armor and he was forced to get a replacement.

He would dare say that his father seemed stronger than his instructor, but he knew that was impossible. His instructor was a mid-class Saiyans while his father was lower class warrior. There was no way that his father was stronger. Perhaps it only appeared that his father was stronger because he didn't hold back, unlike his instructor.

Yes, that must be it.

By the time his dad left, he definition felt stronger and more confidence when he walked into class and he found himself more easily able to keep up with his classmates. Even his instructor was impressed. He supposed he did owe the old man...but he would never tell him that.

"It's hard to believe that it's already graduating day," his mom said as she dusted his armor. "You have really grown a lot over this last year."

He said nothing as he looked at his mom and the huge bump that was now her stomach. When his dad left, he left behind a little 'present' for his mom. Her current state left her tired and more irritable, but that was expected.

He was neither happy nor sad about being a 'big brother', especially since when he graduated he would finally be shipped off this rock and he would probably never see his sibling unless it was on the battlefield.

Though, strangely, despite this being a time of celebration his mom seemed forlorn. It could be because he was leaving after today to start his off-world training and she would miss him. His mom was just like that. But…something else felt off. Like she knew something bad was going to happened today.

Perhaps he was thinking too hard.

"Your father would be so proud of you." She patted her stomach. "And I'm sure your sibling is proud of you as well."

He gave a curt nod to that.

She became very quiet. "I...I just want you to know that no matter what you do with your life, I will always support you...and I am proud of you." She kissed him on his forehead, causing him to wretched.

Really, did she did have to do that?

She brushed his hair. "Now go. Go and become a true Saiyan."

He gave another nod as he left the apartment. His mom really was too soft. He was thankful that he wasn't infected by her genes. He didn't care for his old man, but he knew that he got the better deal by taking more after him.

When he reached the classroom, it was very quiet. None of his other classmates were there since the instructor wanted to see them individually on this day. There were other people there, staring at him with interest. They were sitting in chairs and looked almost ominous in the darkened room.

"Raditz, are you prepared to take you final step into becoming a warrior, worthy of being called a Saiyan?" his instructor asked in a low voice.

He stood at attention. "I'm ready."

With a nod, the door to the other room was suddenly opened and someone was being dragged out. It was an alien from what appeared to species similar to them. The person looked scared, very scared as they were forced to their knees and turned away from him.

Was he supposed to fight this person? How? There were chained up from head to toe.

"Raditz, this creature is an enemy to the Saiyan race. Their kind fought and killed many of us," his instructor said. "Because of these crimes, he has been given the death penalty. It is your duty to carry out his sentence."

He felt his blood run cold. They wanted him to kill this person...in coldblood?

He knew that he would have to kill. That was simply the nature of the work they did. They fought and destroyed civilizations for the greatness of the Saiyan race and for the thrill of battle.

But...this was different.

This wasn't him killing on some far off battlefield on some remote planet. He was being asked to kill a person who couldn't fight back. There was _nothing_ about this that made him a warrior. What was the point of killing a person who was chained down and scared?

"Why do you hesitate?" one of the Saiyans in the room asked. "Does taking a life scare you?"

He tried to talk, but his mouth felt dry and was afraid that his voice would crack if he answered. Instead, he shook his head.

"Then execute this person," the Saiyan ordered him. "Prove that you are worthy to be called a Saiyan."

He slowly walked towards the prisoner, trying not to stumble on his way there.

He felt sick. This was wrong. This was _very_ wrong.

Why was he executing this person? If he killed on the battlefield, that was where he should've died. Not here. Not tied down like some animal unable to fight. If he could at least defend himself, he would feel better about this.

But…that wasn't what he was asked to do. He had to kill this person. He had to kill this creature...

He repeated that in his head several times, but his body still felt stiffed. All too soon, he found himself only inches away from the condemn prisoner.

The prisoner had stopped fighting and accepted their fate. He stared up ahead at his instructors, no doubt damning the people who had order his death. Perhaps he was also upset that a child was killing him. That was a big thing for some species.

"Hurry up and carry out the sentence," another Saiyan demanded.

He raised his hand and build energy into his palm. With one short energy burst, he would kill the prisoner quick. They wouldn't be made to suffer. They would feel some heat and then it would be all over.

...Then why was he hesitating? Why did he feel his stomach flipped and his hand shook? It couldn't be that he was afraid to kill? He has been training for this his entire life. He has seen death. He had seen people blown up from the inside out, disemboweled, dismembered, and put through all sorts of tortures before dying as he floated in his incubator. He should be numb to this kind of thing, but...

"He can't do it," someone spoke; he was too numb to see who it was.

"I guess it's to be expected. A child of a reject would be a reject himself," another person replied.

He felt his heart stopped.

No...he _wasn't_ a reject. He wasn't like his mother, who was a failure of a soldier and a Saiyan. He _was_ strong. He _was_ a warrior! He was a _true Saiyan_!

His eyes hardened and he took a deep breath. Before he knew it, he released his energy, blowing the prisoner's head off.

He watched as the prisoner's body stiffened before it went completely limp and collapsed onto the cold floor. Blood gushed across the floor, causing him to wretched.

What did he do?

"Congratulation, Raditz. You made your first kill," his instructor said with some pride. "It took you a bit longer than I would have liked, but you went through with it."

"It took too long," one of the Saiyans complained. "He's not ready to be sent off."

"I disagree," the other Saiyan said. "The first kill is always the hardest. Now that he got a taste for blood, it will be much easier for him."

"That maybe true under normal conditions, but given who his mother is, I am hesitant," the first Saiyan replied.

"We will have a team keeping an eye on him. If he doesn't perform as expected, we will just pull him," his instructor said before smiling and turning towards him. "Congratulation Raditz, you have taking your first step in becoming a full Saiyan soldier. You will be assign to your team tomorrow where you will begin training off-world."

"Th...thank you, sir," he whispered, not sounding as happy as he should be.

"You are dismissed," his instructor said.

Without a word, he numbly walked out of the classroom. He just barely made it outside when he began to retch. He made a drive for the side of the building before he released his breakfast.

He spent several minutes there, vomiting and shaking from what he had done.

Why...why was this affecting him so much? He had seen worse. He was a trained killer. This shouldn't have affected him, yet here he was...vomiting because he had killed. He had killed a defenseless person...

He saw something wet hit the ground and his vision blurred.

Were these tears? Was he actually crying?

...Saiyans didn't cry. Saiyans were hard and cold, and took delight in others' pain. Yet...he felt no joy killing that person. In fact, he felt sick and empty.

Could it be...could it be that he was infected by his mom's kindness after all? That soft heart that made him pity his enemies? Was that why she pity him today and told him that she was proud no matter what he did? She knew this would happen?

This couldn't be. He wasn't like her. He wasn't like her. _HE WASN'T LIKE HER!_

He repeated the chant repeatedly for hours as he sobbed under the shadows of the school where no one could see his disgrace.

* * *

 **This was a different chapter since it was entirely from Raditz's point-of-view and it takes place over a course of a year. We also got the off-screen birth of our favorite Saiyan prince, Vegeta. I thought about making that a bigger deal, but it didn't really fit into the story since Bardock simply wouldn't care and I wanted this to be Raditz's chapter. A lot of what happened to Raditz was inspired by a special I saw about how ISIS conditions their children into becoming soldiers. It's a disgusting, sad, and powerful story. Not for the faint of heart for anyone who wants to look it up.**

 **My Guest Reviewer, thank your for your review. Actually, King Vegeta was scared of cats before meeting Beerus since it was a born phobia. Although, Beerus made King Vegeta's fear of cats worse and it was meant as a kind of wink joke. And to be fair to King Vegeta, Vegeta was scared crapless of Beerus too.**

 **My other Guest Reviewer, thank you for your feedback. Raditz had a bit more of his mother than he likes and it will cause him a lot of conflict in the future. Bardock probably wouldn't be proud at how Raditz begged for his life, but he would also call Goku a moron for showing sympathy towards an enemy and deserved what happened. Also in _Minus_ , Goku wasn't sent to Earth to destroy it, but to save his life. So Goku was never under order to destroy the planet. Although, Goku was still a foul temper child because Saiyans are naturally more violent than humans, especially given their education. Goku also didn't kill for fun for glory. He killed more out of indifference and angry as a kid.**

 **Dark princess, thank you for your review. No, King Vegeta was always scared of cats since it was a born phobia. Beerus just made it worse. Bardock doesn't really have any parent instincts. He only cares about Gine, not so much his kid. As for Raditz's strength, as said in this chapter, he's a low class Saiyan, but he isn't at the stone bottom like his mom and dad. So, that's something.**

 **With all that said, until next chapter, take care.**


	13. Prophecy

**The next chapter is up and on time. Thank you for your reviews, favorites, and follows. Your support helps me write a stronger story.**

 **Now, onto the chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Prophecy**

* * *

Frieza impatiently sipped his wine as Zarbon gave his report about the current situation on Kanassa.

Things were not going well. His forces have been unable to crack the Kanassan's defenses despite the massive increase in manpower over the last month. The creatures of that world were not only fairly powerful, but they had the strange ability to predict when his forces would attack and where, making it nearly impossible to get any leverage. It was growing increasing frustrating.

"Looks like this is a job we need to handle ourselves," Dodoria spoke once Zarbon finished his report.

"It does appears that way, especially with how things have been progression," Zarbon said. "I never imagined that the Kanassans would give our forces us so much trouble. They really are a fearsome race."

Dodoria snorted. "I think our forces are just getting lazy and weak. Increasingly, we have been having trouble taking planets without the help of the Saiyans."

This got Frieza's attention. "The Saiyans have not been deployed to Planet Kanassa?"

"No, sire," Zarbon answered. "I thought our troops would be able to handle this job without them since the Kanassans are not particularly known for their fighting power. From all the reports, the Kanassans are fortunetellers, not fighters."

Dodoria chuckled. "Fortunetellers, huh?"

"That is what I have read," Zarbon said. "They are the ones who have been spreading those rumors about Lord Frieza's downfall. Since the Kanassans are known for being able to see into the future along with their other physic abilities, their word holds weight in this galaxy and several others."

"So, that's why we're expending so much resources trying to take over that dump," Dodoria mused as he rubbed his chin. "The fools. If they just kept their months shut and their heads down, they could have avoided all this."

Zarbon turned towards his lord. "Lord Frieza, with your permission, Dodoria and I will depart for Kanassa. You have my word, sire, we will have the planet conquer by the end of the week."

"That will not be necessary," Frieza replied, surprising Zarbon and Dodoria.

"Lord Frieza?" Dodoria questioned.

"I want you send a squad of Saiyans there instead," Frieza stated. "Let's see what they can do before we start sending in the big guns."

"Saiyans?" Dodoria repeated in disbelief. "We hardly need them to take on this mission."

Zarbon hummed. "Actually, when I think about it, the full moon on Kanassa should be forthcoming in just a few days. It is actually ideal to send in the Saiyans."

"But those overgrown monkeys will kill everyone," Dodoria pointed out. "Didn't Lord Frieza say to bring in at least one survivor from the race that has been spreading rumors. The Saiyans, once transformed, can't control themselves outside of their elite fighters."

"That is a risk," Zarbon noted with some concern.

"It is hardly something we need to worry about. The Saiyans have been able to show some measure of control when it comes to these type of things, even when they become those rampaging apes," Frieza said before looking at Zarbon from the side of his eye. "Who is the closest Saiyan team to Kanassa?"

"From the last reports, Bardock's team, I believe," Zarbon answered.

"Bardock? It feels like we have been hearing that name a lot lately," Frieza observed.

"He has been making a name for himself among both the Saiyan and our forces," Zarbon replied. "He runs a successful team that rivals the Saiyan elites, including King and Prince Vegeta's groups. He mostly specializes in taking distress missions, so Kanassa should be perfect for him."

"Strange, isn't Bardock's team just a bunch a lower class warriors?" Dodoria asked. "It's hard to imagine that the Saiyans weakest fighters are outperforming us like this."

Zarbon flipped his hair. "I have been monitoring the Saiyan situation for some time. While what Bardock accomplish is extremely impressive, he and his team are outliers. They hardly represent the average lower class warrior."

"I suppose," Dodoria said as he folded his arms, "however, each new generation of Saiyan are becoming more powerful. Just look at their prince, Vegeta. That boy is only five and he's already outperforming some of our best soldiers. I've even heard he wiped out six of our newly enhanced Saibamen by himself in just a couple of minutes. Among the Saiyans, he's called the strongest in a generation. Hell, he could become the strongest Saiyan, _ever_."

"I have personally only found the Saiyans to be truly dangerous during a full moon. Take that away and they become easy to deal with. But their own outstanding fighters does gives one pause," Zarbon stated. "I do also agree about their growth. If Prince Vegeta is any indication, we could be dealing with a new generation of powerful Saiyans."

Dodoria hummed. "And their loyalty to Lord Frieza is questionable. Especially if you believe the rumors about King Vegeta."

"In either case, get that Saiyan team to Kanassa, immediately. I want those rebels crush as soon as possible," Frieza ordered.

"As you command, my lord." Zarbon bowed humbly before leaving the room.

There was a long silence as Dodoria refilled Frieza's wine glass.

"My lord, if I may asked, why do you even want any survivors from Kanassa?" Dodoria questioned once he finished pouring the wine. "Wouldn't it just be better to just erase all of them from existence?"

Frieza turned towards his loyal servant. "No reason in particular. I just want to hear this prophecy for myself. All this talk about my suppose downfall has gotten me curious."

Dodoria nodded in understanding.

Although his lord tried to hide it, it was an opened secret among the inner circle that Lord Frieza was quite superstitious and, dare he say, paranoid. He tended to take any folklore, rumor, and prophecy seriously.

He couldn't understand why. _Nothing_ in this universe could so much as touch Lord Frieza, except his father whose might was also unnatural. Their power was beyond comprehension. Even the gods themselves would tremble before Lord Frieza and his father's power.

"If you have nothing better to do, I suggest you make yourself busy. I don't keep you around just so you can stare at me," Frieza said, turning back in his chair and sipping his wine.

Dodoria jolted from his thoughts. "Yes...yes, of course, sire!" He rushed out of the room, not wanting to be on Lord Frieza's bad side.

As soon as Dodoria left, Frieza got out of his hover chair and floated towards the opened window overseeing his planet.

Perhaps it was nothing. Perhaps it was all just a stupid rumor meant to unnerve him. But...he couldn't take any chances.

For the last few years, he had been haunted by a sense of foreboding. An almost sickening fear that something was coming for him. Those feelings happened around the same time as those rumors.

It couldn't be a mere coincidence, especially since he too was gifted with limited foresight.

And now, on top of those ill feelings, he had those dreams...no nightmares. In those nightmares he was on a planet covered in red. A world that was dying and minutes away from exploding. In that red back dropped floated a person who shone gold. It was nothing he had ever seen before.

What unnerved him the most about this golden warrior were his eyes. They were a cold greenish blue, and shone with anger, hatred, and murderous intent. Those eyes were like his own when he was full of rage. Whoever had those eyes belong to, they wanted to kill him...and they had the power to do it.

Was this golden warrior the one the Kanassan's prophecy spoke of? The one who was destined to defeat him?

He narrowed his eyes. He wouldn't allow it!

He was _Lord Frieza_ , the strongest being in the universe! _None_ shall surpass him, not even his own father! If this supposed golden warrior was destined to defeat him, he would destroy them before they even have the chance to accumulate their power. He would stomp this little cub before it could become a lion.

He threw his glass of wine unto the ground and watched in disinterest as the liquid spilled across the floor. From the spilled wine, he saw the image of that golden warrior and its chilling blue eyes.

* * *

Bardock relaxed as he stared into the opened sky. Another day, another planet cleared. It was also another easy one. Almost all their missions have been easy lately since they haven't been as many distress calls. He supposed the Frieza Force finally got their act together.

At the same time, they all have become much stronger, which made it hard to get hard assignments. The missions that used to provide them with some challenge a few years ago were almost cakewalks now. Although he should be happy about his crew's increased strength, it was boring. His skills would rust at this rate.

On the bright side, they were getting more missions lately. There was almost no downtime as they were sent planet to planet. So, they were making some headway if they were the first ones on call for these types of jobs. It still annoyed the hell out of him that he and his crew were still not allowed retest into a higher class. Almost all of them were well above mid-tier level.

"Hey, we got our new orders," Tora suddenly spoke up, knocking him out of his daydream. "We are to report to Planet Kanassa, immediately."

"Kanassa?" Shugesh repeated. "I've heard that Frieza has really taking an interest in that world. He's committed some of his best forces to try to take it."

Fasha nodded. "I'd say. They've been trying to conquer it for over two months now."

Shugesh smirked. "Looks like we need to bail those guys out, again."

"Yeah, but this isn't a complete gut job," Tora warned his crew. "We are to bring in survivors."

Bardock sat up. "That's unusual. The Frieza Force never leaves survivors."

"That's the order," Tora confirmed.

"How curious," Fasha said with interest.

"Well, whatever. I don't really care what Frieza wants with that planet. We finally got an interesting job after months of taking low-tier worlds," Bardock said as he looked towards Tora. "When is the full moon on Kanassa?"

"In two days," Tora answered.

"Really, that soon?" Bardock questioned as he clicked on his scouter. "And Kanassa is nearly a two day journey from here. We will be arriving just in time."

Shugesh laughed. "It's like they're gift wrapping this planet for us."

"That's probably why we're being sent there," Toro observed. "We are the closest crew to Kanassa. So, we're not being choosing for particular skills."

Shugesh groaned as he took this in. "That's a bummer."

"We also risked killing everyone on the planet by transformation," Tora said after a second of thought. "If we don't leave a few people alive, Frieza will have our heads."

Bardock nodded. "I understand that, but I'm not worried. I'll make sure to leave a few a live."

"Then, I guess we better get going," Fasha said as she stood up.

Bardock also stood up and walked towards his attack ball. As he opened his pod, he suddenly got a sense of foreboding. Like...he was walking into is own death or something. He had never felt that way before.

What did it mean? Was he going towards his death on Kanassa? No...it didn't feel quite like that. But something big was going to happen on Kanassa. Something that somehow impacted him.

He shook his head as he climbed into the pod.

Since when did he start believing in such superstitious nonsense? This was just another job, nothing more, nothing less.

That was what he kept telling himself as their pods took off.

* * *

The Kanassan general breathed heavily as he took in the stillness of the night. For the entire day, the Frieza Force had stopped their attacks. They seemed to be in retreat given that they had left for the far end of the planet.

It was nice to believe that they'd won. That they drove back their attackers and gained a victory over the demon who has been trying to take over the universe.

But...he already knew the truth.

This was the last night of his race's existence. Their demised was foretold years ago when they spoke of the downfall of the tyrant. That one born with the power to defeat Frieza would come and end this nightmare, freeing the universe from his icy grasp.

Although his physic sight paled in comparison to his comrades, he could feel their deaths in the air even if it wasn't already foretold.

...He had no regrets. Even if they never spoke out, it would only be a matter of time before Frieza took an interest in their world. He would fear a planet filled with psychics and no doubt wanted their power for himself.

At least this way they would meet their end on their _terms_ , not his. By taking this path, they were paving the way for the person who could end Frieza...and to assure that they wouldn't become like him.

"Commander! It's the full moon!" one of his men yelled.

He looked to see that through the cloudy night sky that the moon was indeed full, just like the vision. From the darkness, a giant roar filled the air and they could see what appeared to be giant apes growing from within the city.

So...the moment has finally arrived.

He stood up and faced his troops. "Get ready! We are going to engage the enemy! It does not matter if our deaths have already been foretold or that we are destined to lose this battle! Give those demon monkeys hell and make sure that they will _always_ remember us!"

Battle cries rung out from his men as they charged into their destinies.

He flew ahead of them; ready for whatever those monsters threw at him. He would make sure he left his mark on these beasts.

And he got his wished. With a single energy blast, he managed to scar one of the monkey demons. He smiled in satisfaction, knowing that this monster would never forget him. He also took satisfaction knowing that these demons would soon get theirs.

Their demised was also foretold.

That was what he told himself as the monster crushed him underfoot.

* * *

"That was one hell of a party last night, wasn't it?" Tora asked as he chewed on his rations.

Bardock grunted as he relaxed on the rocky ground.

Shugesh cussed under his breath, rubbing his inflamed cheek wound that he got during the battle. "Damn that guy."

Tora laughed. "That's what you get for dropping your guard."

"Still, that guy had to be something to mark you while you were Great Ape," Fasha noted. "Not too many people can do that."

"It should be of no surprise," Borgos spoke for the first time that day. "The Kanassans were tough. They held back the Frieza Force for over a month, after all."

Shugesh sneered. "Yeah, but we still stomped them in less than a night."

"We may have done too good of a job," Tora said with some worry as he looked around the war torn planet. "I think we may have killed everyone."

"That was hardly our fault," Fasha said. "Those Kanassans practically threw themselves at us. Most would run from fifty-foot apes. Those guys...it was like they wanted to die."

"I'm sure some of those bastards survived. These stubborn fishes don't know when to roll over and die," Shugesh dismissed.

"I guess you're right," Tora said before glancing over a Bardock. "But you really overdid it last night."

Fasha smiled. "The commander won't admit it, but he's extremely happy. Gine gave birth last night."

Tora was surprised to hear this. "Really? I knew she was expecting, but feels like yesterday since Raditz was born." He turned towards his old friend. "So, what's his name?"

"Don't know. Never bothered to ask," Bardock answered in his usual lazy tone.

"Another loser, huh?" Borgos asked.

"Borgos!" Fasha exclaimed.

"No point getting upset. It's the truth," Bardock said in disgust. He sat up and spit out the straw he was chewing on. "The brat has almost no fighting potential. At least Raditz had some promise."

"It can't be that bad," Shugesh said.

Bardock glared at his comrade. "He's born with a battle power of two."

There was a very long pause as the crew took this in.

"Two?" Tora repeated in disbelief. "That…that can't be right. Even the lowest of the lower class Saiyan is born with a battle power of at least five. Two...that's just unheard of."

"It's the truth," Bardock spat, highly upset. "It was so pathetic that the doctors tested him twice."

"Sheesh, that sucks," Shugesh said in sympathy for his commander. "I'm sorry man. I know that's not the kind of record you want your child setting."

"Birth power mean nothing, guys," Fasha argued. "I keep telling you this, but look at us. We were in the gutter too."

"True, but a power level of only two doesn't inspire much confident in his future," Tora said as he glanced around, making sure no one else was listening in. "Truthfully, he may be like his mom."

Shugesh nodded. "That would explain that outstanding low power level. But...I guess that's the risk you take when you have a child with someone like Gine." He turned towards his commander. "No offense to her."

Bardock shook his head. "None taking. I knew what might happen when I courted her. She even warned me that our children might come out to be pathetic weaklings or even rejects. I shouldn't be upset when it happens."

Fasha sighed in disappoint. "You won't even give the boy a chance."

"How I treat my children is _my_ business, Fasha," Bardock said harshly.

"No need to get emotional about it. It is what it is," Tora said, trying to calm the situation. "Although, I do feel sorry for him. He's in for a very harsh life if he's indeed a reject."

Bardock growled as he balled his fists.

He knew the risks. He knew that any child he had would be tainted by Gine's softness. Yet, it still upset him. He wanted a _strong_ child, able to climb the ranks, not some pacifist.

But, if he was a reject, at least he would keep Gine company. Having someone who could relate to her in that way would ease her loneliness, especially since he was a way all the time. Perhaps that worthless child of his would be of some used after all.

"I still don't understand why Frieza wanted this planet," Shugesh said, changing the subject. "This world looks no different than any other. It isn't particularly beautiful or has any rare resources that would fetch a high price. Can't see why Frieza would want this place."

"This is just a rumor, but I heard that you're supposed to gain physic powers if you live here long enough, or something to that effect," Tora said.

Bardock turned towards his old friend. "You mean the Kanassan were psychics?"

"Fortunetellers as the Frieza Force called them," Tora simplified. "They had the ability to see into the future and even read minds as the rumors goes."

Shugesh chuckled. "Sounds like a stupid fairytale. If they were really psychics who could see into the future and stuff, why did they go and get themselves wiped out?"

"Maybe they could see the future, but they weren't able to prevent it," Fasha guessed. "Just because you can see your own demised doesn't mean you can do anything to stop it."

Tora sighed. "Thinking about it that way, I feel almost sorry for the poor bastards. To see a future that they can't stop. Must've been horrible for them."

"That would be a fitting fate for you baboons!"

They all turned around to see a Kanassan pulling itself from the wreckage of a falling building. It appeared to be hiding there the entire time.

"What the..." Bardock started to say as the Kanassan suddenly charged him.

Within a blink of an eye, the Kanassan suddenly disappeared. Before Bardock could react, he was struck in the back of the neck, sending him trembling to the ground.

When the Kanassan landed, he was immediately tackled by Borgos, who pinned him to the ground. Shugesh raised his hand, ready to execute the man.

"Don't kill him!" Tora ordered. "Remember, we need at least one of these bastards alive."

Borgos grunted as he ruthlessly broke the Kanassan's arms so he couldn't fight back anymore, causing him to cry out in pain.

Bardock stood up and glared at the man. "Dammit! I let my guard down." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Thankfully, you're a lousy aim. You didn't hit any of my vitals, stupid fish." He ruthlessly kicked the Kanassan in the face, causing blood to spill from his lips. "I don't know rather to call you lucky or unlucky. We can't kill you since that would be against Frieza's orders, who for whatever reason wants one of you alive." He smirked. "But what remains of your life will be a living Hell. Frieza will see to that."

The Kanassan coughed as he spit out some blood. "I...I do not need you to tell me that, stupid ape. I have already foreseen my own future."

"So, your kind can see into the future," Tora stated with interest as he folded his arms.

"It's a gift granted to my people long before you baboons could even walk upright," the Kanassan spat.

Shugesh laughed. "Some gift. It couldn't even save you or your people."

The Kanassan laughed. It was low and sounded almost evil. "Perhaps... But it won't save you either."

Bardock raised an eyebrow. "What does that even mean?"

The Kanassan grinned at him, there was nothing but malice in his expression. "My gift to you, _Bardock_. I have given you our gift. The gift to see into the future."

Bardock sneered. "Ridiculous."

The Kanassan snickered. "Call it what you want, but I can tell you that the future that lies before you is a curse one. That the karma you Saiyans have built over your lifetime of evil will finally come back to you. And you, Bardock, will be the first to see that future. You _will_ see the horror of your end, just like we had to!"

This made Bardock paused.

"Huh, this all sounds like sour grapes from a loser," Shugesh mocked as he stepped on the man's head, grinding his face into the dirt. "Like we, the mighty Saiyans, have anything to fear in this universe."

"That's enough of that," Bardock ordered as he grabbed the Kanassan. "I'll take this jerk to the Frieza Force."

Fasha gave him a worry expression. "Are you sure you will be okay? He did strike you in the neck."

"I'll fine. I've gotten far worst injures these this," Bardock dismissed. Although, he was feeling increasingly dizzy and light-headed.

He threw the Kanassan over his shoulder like a sack of rice and began flying towards the nearest Frieza Force outpost.

"To think...our savior would come from one of you demons..." the Kanassan spoke before coughing. "The universe truly loves its irony."

"What are you blabbering about?" Bardock asked in a bored tone.

The Kanassan chuckled. "I gave you our gift for more than just petty revenge, Bardock. For the decision that you and your wife will make will either saved or doomed the universe."

Bardock snorted. "Why is it like you fortunetellers to speak in riddles? Why can't you guys ever give a straight answer?"

As he spoke, he was a little unnerved that this creature knew that he had a wife. Than again, he could've just been listening in when his crew was talking earlier. That was probably how he knew his name, which he seemed to like to use a little too much.

"In time, you will see," the Kanassan stated. "As the day of your demise approaches, you will see the terror we were forced to foresee."

Bardock rolled his eyes, coming to the conclusion that he wasn't going to get a straight answer out of the man.

Within a few minutes, he landed in the Frieza Force's camp.

"Huh, that's Bardock!" one of the soldiers exclaimed.

"Got a gift for your commander." He dumped the injured Kanassan on the ground, ignoring his cries of pain as he landed on one of his broken arms.

"A survivor! Quickly, get the commander!" a soldier yelled as they went to secure the prisoner.

It only took a few minutes for the commander of the squad to appear. He looked over the injured Kanassan with interest. "Well, looks like you managed not to kill all of them after all. I was worried since we couldn't find anyone."

Bardock rubbed his neck, which was now pounding. "Yeah, the little shit got the jump on us, but we took him down. I assume Frieze is fine with a single survivor."

The commander folded his arms. "We would have liked more, but this will do. These Kanassans refused to be taking alive."

"Well, if we're done here, I'll be on my way," Bardock said as he looked down his nose at the Kanassan before flying away.

"Get him ready for transport. Lord Frieza will be very interested in meeting him," the commander ordered.

The Kanassan lowered his head in acceptance.

He just had to hang on a little longer. Just a little longer. If he broke too soon, then the sacrifice of his people made would be in vain.

Those were his thoughts as he was dragged away.

Bardock, meanwhile, was having trouble flying, nearly falling out of the sky several times.

He was tired, dizzy, and the pain in his neck was getting worse. It felt like his spinal cord was literally going to explode. It was taking everything he had not fall out of the sky.

"Back already, huh?" Tora asked with a smile when he saw Bardock land closed by. He immediately lost his good humor when he saw how pale Bardock was. "Hey, are you okay?"

Bardock didn't have the chance to answer before he collapsed. He heard his crew calling for him before darkness completely took over.

He wasn't sure where he was. He was floating in a sea of nothingness. It was cold and foreboding, much like death itself.

An explosion got his attention and looked to see a planet disappeared in a bright flash of light. The planet looked vaguely familiar, but his mind refused to make any connection.

His vision moved to another planet. This was one was small and blue. It looked almost beautiful. It was obviously a place that had been untouched by Frieza's hands. It had to be a frontier world.

The vision zoomed in on the planet and he appeared to be in a mountain region. The world _was_ beautiful. It was filled with life and wonder like no other planet he had ever seen. It was nothing like the death world of Planet Vegeta. He almost felt jealous seeing such natural beauty.

He looked around to see an attack ball, which had landed some distance from him.

An invasion?

The pod opened and from it he could see the shadow of a figure. He couldn't clearly see the person, but they were small. Like a child. He could see a tail.

It was a Saiyan. From the looked of it, it was an infiltration baby sent to destroy this world.

Why was he's seeing this? What was the point of seeing a worthless infiltration child?

Before he could see the child's face, he suddenly woke in the healing chamber.

He looked around in confusion. Was it all a dream?

"He's regained consciousness," he heard someone speak.

The sound of liquid draining told him that he was about to be released. Within second, the chamber opened.

"Welcome back, Bardock," the doctor said. "You gave us quite a scare."

He climbed out of the healing tank, rubbing the place where the Kanassan struck him. The pain was gone, but he still felt funny.

The doctor took noticed of this. "Is that injury still bothering you?"

"No...no it's nothing," Bardock whispered as he went to get his armor that was lying on the nearby table.

"Are you sure?" the doctor asked, not believing a word he said. "You were showing some abnormal brain activity for several days now."

This surprised Bardock. "Days? How long was I out?"

"For about a week," the doctor answered. "You're on Planet Frieza No. 38. Your crew brought you here after you were injured on Kanassa."

He growled. That damn Kanassan messed him up more than he expected. To think such a light blow could bring him down for several days. It was embarrassing.

"You should take it easy for awhile," the doctor advised. "We are still not completely sure what that Kanassan did to you."

"I'm sure it was nothing serious," Bardock said, trying to dismiss his concern.

"Oh, your wife called," the doctor suddenly said. "She has been worried about you since she heard you were injured."

Bardock sighed. "Why did those bums tell her that I was hurt? It'll only makes her worry."

"In either case, I already have you transfer to Planet Vegeta for further observation. You are not allowed to go on any missions until either Planthorr or Malaka clears you," the doctor informed.

Now Bardock was really upset. "You can't do that."

"I just did. Doctor's orders," the man said without a shred of fear towards Bardock. "You are one of the top fighters on both the Saiyan and Frieza Force. It will be my head on the line if I released you before we found out what happened to you."

Bardock growled as he put his armor on. "Fine. Whatever."

"And don't even think about trying to steer the attack pod somewhere else. I already had it programed to fly straight to Planet Vegeta," the doctor said.

"You thought of everything," Bardock mused as he finished dressing.

"I dealt with stubborn Saiyans for a long time. I know how you guys think," the doctor stated.

He put on his scouter. "Well, I guess I might as well get this over with."

Despite his attitude, he wasn't too upset. He would get to spend some quality time with Gine, something that he was never adverse to. Besides, although he didn't want to admit, he still wasn't feeling one-hundred percent. The visions he saw in his dream kept coming back.

"While I'm off resting, where is my crew?" Bardock asked.

"They have already been sent on an assignment. Nothing too tough though," the doctor replied.

"They would go off and have fun without me." He smirked. "Well, they better not go and get themselves killed, otherwise I will never stop talking about them," Bardock said as he made his way towards the docking area.

* * *

Frieza smirked as he made his way towards the detention area. At last, he would finally meet one of these infamous Kanassans who dared speak of his demised. It has been a long time coming. Too long.

"I cannot believe you brought that filthy beast here. You could have taking him to any of the other planets we hold," a soft, somewhat gentle voice said.

Frieza looked up towards his father who walked alongside him. He appeared almost bored by the entire thing.

"I want to make sure that whatever he says never gets out to the public. This type of information cannot be trusted on those lower worlds," Frieza explained.

King Cold hummed. "Perhaps. However, you could have just killed him so nothing he says can spread. As far as we know, he is the last Kanassan in the universe."

"I want to know this prophecy in detail. If there is even a remote chance that it can be true, I want to nip it in the butt," Frieza answered before his eyes narrowed. " _Nothing_ must be allowed to challenge our power."

"I supposed it is better to side with caution. Although I cannot imagine anything being able to challenge us outside of the God of Destruction and Majin Buu," King Cold stated.

Frieza shivered when he heard those names.

He had heard legends of Majin Buu, a demon so feared and powerful that he supposedly killed the gods themselves, and could destroy the universe if it desired. He wasn't certain how true those stories were, but his father certainly believed them and had warned him since he was a child that Majin Buu was a being that he should _never_ touch. His father's power was second only to his own and if he feared someone, he learned it was best to stay away from it.

The God of Destruction...he didn't need his father to tell him that he was bad news. He has the unpleasant business of meeting the God of Destruction once. _Nothing_ in the universe filled him with more terror than him. Just the god staring at him was enough to freeze him in place and give him nightmares.

Thankfully, those two remained largely unknown across the universe. To the general public, _he_ was the most powerful being in the universe bar none, and he intend to keep it that way. His reputation would be ruined if anyone knew that they were two beings who were _far_ stronger than him.

After several minutes, they entered the detention area where the Kanassan was held. He was chained up and bleeding in several places. He needed to have those wounds cared for eventually. He couldn't have the Kanassan die from infection before he had gotten the necessary information out of him.

"Hello there," he greeted politely. Kanassan glared at him. "I am..."

"Frieza...I know who you are," the Kanassan spat without a shred of fear.

"Such a rude thing," Frieze mused. "You really should mind your manners given your current position."

The Kanassan continued to glare at him.

"But we are not here to talk about your manners. We are here to discuss a little prophecy that you and your people have been spreading for the last couple of years," Frieza said. "Tell me, what is this prophecy?"

The Kanassan turned his eyes away from him. "I have nothing to say to you."

Frieza narrowed his eyes. "More rudeness."

Within a blink of an eye, he put his fist into the Kanassan's gut, knocking the air out of him.

"I am not a very patient person," Frieza's voice dropped. "When I asked a question, I expect it to be answer."

The Kanassan coughed and wheezed for air.

"Now, now, Frieza. If you are too rough with him, he won't be able to speak," King Cold stated.

Frieza wiped his nose. "Sorry, father. I tend to over do it when I'm upset." He glared down at the Kanassan. "I asked again. Tell me about this prophecy."

The Kanassan responded by spitting at his feet.

Frieza's eye twitched and he slapped the Kanassan so hard with his tail that his jaw broke.

King Cold sighed. "Now look what you have done. You can hardly speak now."

Frieza was fuming.

"Let's leave the interrogation to the professional," King Cold suggested. "He will have this upstart begging to tell us everything he knows."

"I...I will tell you nothing..." Kanassan managed to stuttered with his broken jaw. "Not...not until he's ready…."

Frieza raised an eyebrow. "He?"

The Kanassan glared Frieza right into his cold eyes. "The one who is destined to destroy you."

* * *

Bardock stepped out of the pod and attempted to adjust to the bright suns of Planet Vegeta. It was odd being back without his crew since they were almost always with him when he returned home. It still annoyed him that they got to have fun while he was stuck on medical leave.

Damn, he hoped that stupid Kanassan was suffering.

He made his way to the meat factory, half-heartedly returning the greetings of his fellow Saiyans.

When he entered the building, he saw Gine near the front cutting several slabs of meat. It wasn't the most ideal job in the world, but Gine appeared happy with it since she was no longer burden with killing and fighting. Besides, there weren't many jobs opportunities for failed soldiers like her.

"Hey!" he greeted with a wide smile.

Gine jumped and turned towards Bardock in surprise. "Bardock!" She all but jumped into his arms. "Bardock! I'm glad you're okay. I feared the worst when Tora told me you were hurt."

"Tora doesn't know what he's talking about," Bardock assured as he wrapped his arms around her. "I'm fine, see. It will take more than some overgrown fish to finish me off."

She pulled away from him. "What are you doing here? Where are the others?"

He sighed. "Unfortunately, the doctors didn't believe me when I said I was fine. They put me on medical leave until further noticed."

She frowned when she heard that. "That's highly unusual. You usually have to be mortally injured to get on medical leave." She stared worriedly at him. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I said I'm fine," Bardock said, looking to change the subject. "So, where's Raditz?"

She pulled herself out of his arms. "He's on a training mission with his team. He should be back in a couple of days."

"Oh, so he did graduated," Bardock mused.

Gine frowned at him. "I sent you the message when it happened. And he graduated months ago."

"He did?" he asked. He honestly didn't remember. Maybe he was busy that day.

She rubbed her forehead in annoyance. "I bet you don't even remember the birth of your second son."

Bardock rubbed his hair. "Well, it was a long time ago."

"It was _only_ a week ago," she replied, not hiding her annoyance.

"Felt longer," he attempted to justify.

She tried to hold her temper. "Would you like to see your son? He's in the incubator, but he can still hear you." She gave a fond smile, losing her previous foul mood. "He's the cutest little thing."

"Saiyans are not supposed to be cute," Bardock retorted as Gine dragged him to the medical center.

He really didn't want to see the boy, but he knew Gine wouldn't take no for an answer. She just had it in her head that he was going to build a relationship with her children. It was cute in some ways, but he still found it annoying.

The medical building was strangely empty when they walked in. From what he could see, neither Planthorr nor Malaka were around.

"Look Kakarot. Your daddy is here," Gine cooed in her most gentle voice as she stood in front of the incubator that held their second son.

Bardock looked at the baby and was mildly surprised to see that the child had his hair. His father wasn't kidding when he said that hairstyle was a second son thing.

"He looks just like you, especially with that unique hairdo," Gine said with a warm smile.

He folded his arms. "He has your face. There is a...gentleness to it."

The boy looked innocent, unlike every other Saiyan child he had ever seen, including his firstborn. He could see why Gine referred to him as cute since he was on the adorable side. He would actually make an ideal infiltration baby given how unassuming he looked. Although he doubted Gine would ever let the boy leave her side.

Besides, he doubted it would make much of a different anyway. That peaceful, innocent look on his face told him that he was most likely a reject. He figured as much given his trash power level. No amount of training would make him a good soldier. He would be happier working in the meat factory or something.

The baby twitched in his sleep; no doubt he was being disturbed by the images being fed to him by the computer. Another hint that he didn't have the Saiyans' battle instinct.

He followed the wires and tubes that were hooked into the boy with mild interest.

Within the incubator, the boy was not only adapting to the heavy gravity of Vegeta, but he was also being given vital information. Unlike other races who rear their children by hand, all Saiyan babies had everything they needed to know directly downloaded into their brains. Speech, history, fighting styles, and other vital information were taught to them in this way. By the time they left the incubator, Saiyan children knew their duty. What they were born to be.

They were forced to see images of death, war, and mayhem until they became desensitize to them. They were taught how to kill most species instantly by striking the right spot and how to cause as much pain as possible when they wanted information.

It was a much better and faster process than those races who did things the old fashion way, especially since no one had time to raise babies. Their children were ready to become soldiers and take over planets while most three years were still sucking on their mother's tits.

He knew that many species found this practice to be disgusting and disturbing, even among the Frieza Force. Brainwashing they called it.

How was it brainwashing? Children were taught everything they needed to know about how to be a Saiyan and how to survive. He supposed it was because most species had a low tolerate for violence, causing pain, and found the idea of teaching a baby how to kill disturbing.

But that was what made the Saiyans the better race. They weren't hindered by such weaknesses.

Also within the incubator, the child was being vaccinated for every known disease in the universe, no matter how rare, which was why his skin was pale. Nothing was left to chance. The process was extremely painful and many did die during vaccination procedure since their immune system simply couldn't handle the stress. But it was all just another means of weeding out the weak. If the baby died, they were worthless anyway.

To properly invade a planet, a strong immunity was a requirement. Too many species met their end because they were careless enough to invade a planet that they couldn't adapt to, caught some strange disease, brought it home, and wiped their stupid selves out. Even the Frieza Force was required to go through grueling vaccinations and scans before they were even allowed to go to any new planet.

There was also the Galactic Patrol to consider, whom had viruses custom made to wipe out particular species they deemed dangerous or to a give mercy kill. There were even rumors that the patrol tried to wipe _them_ out with a virus. So, their very survival depended on them becoming strong and immune to anything that their enemies could throw at them.

Saiyans had no need weak babies.

Gine tenderly touched the incubator. "I sense something special with him. Planthorr sensed it too."

"Really?" Bardock mused as he tapped his scouter and read his son's power level. "Special, huh? His power level is just as pathetic as I've heard."

Gine glared at him. "It isn't all about power, you know."

Bardock had to bite his tongue.

His wife wouldn't be happy with him calling her child trash. But how could Gine see this...weakling as anything special? Surely Gine wasn't that blinded by motherhood. He supposed he was 'special' like his mom given that he was one of the few surviving rejects, if he was one.

He touched the incubator and within seconds, he was assaulted with images of an exploding planet, that blue world, and that child stepping out of the attack pod who had hair similar to him.

He immediately pulled his hand away.

"Bardock, is something wrong?" she asked in worried.

"It...it's nothing," Bardock stuttered.

"It's nothing my foot! You're so pale!" Gine exclaimed.

"I said it was nothing." He turned away from the incubator. "I...I'm just tired from the trip here."

Gine frowned, not believing him.

"I'm going to laid down. I'll see you after work," Bardock said quickly as he excused himself, still disturbed by the images he saw.

What were those images? Where they...the future?

 _"I can tell you that the future that lies before is a curse one. That the karma you Saiyans have built over your lifetime of evil will finally come back to you. And you, Bardock, will be the first to see that future. You will see the horror of your end, just like we had to._ "

The words of that Kanassan came echoing back.

Bardock violently shook his head.

It was all nonsense. The babbling of a man who was bitter because he lost. Being able to see into the future, what a bunch of crock.

That was what he kept telling himself as he made his way to his apartment and promptly collapsed into bed.

* * *

 **A lot of jumping around in this chapter. We are finally in the part of the story that many of you have been waiting for almost four months. Namely, the part that is more directly connected to the _Bardock Special_. This won't be a direct retelling of that special or even _Minus_. As you you have seen from this chapter, there are some changes and slightly different events happening. I think you guys will enjoy it.**

 **Dark Princess, thank you for your review. Glad you liked Raditz and Bardock's interaction, even if it was brief. Raditz has many mixed emotions about his mother, especially since he inherited some of her traits, which causes him much pain since he got this idea of what it means to be a Saiyan, and his mother isn't it. This story still has some chapter left until the end, especially since we are only now getting into special and _Minus_. As for what is next, I haven't decided yet. If you have story ideas, I don't mind you listing them. I just can't promise I write them since writing is a hobby for me and something I do for fun. And I try to be on time with my stories, although I do miss dates sometimes.**

 **Until next chapter, take care.**


	14. Twilight

**Here we are, the next chapter. Thank you for your reviews, favorites, and follows. I am always happy to hear that so many are enjoying the story. Your feedback helps me write a better story.**

 **Now, onward to the story.**

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Twilight**

* * *

It was happening again...

He could see a planet exploding, disappearing into the vastness of space. He heard someone laughing in cold delight as they oversaw the destruction of that world.

Far away, he saw that blue planet and that figured dressed in their armor. From the hairstyle, he knew it was his second son, Kakarot. He was staring up at an old man who was looking down at him from the crater the attack ball made.

From there he saw images of his son, growing up. Gone was the Saiyan armor and what replaced it was simple clothing that was at first blue than a reddish-orange. He saw him training with another child, who was bald and short, and fighting in what appeared to be some type of contest.

His son grew older and he was now battling what appeared to be a Namekian. He saw the rage in his face and the hatred that pulsed through his son. Whoever this Namekian was had truly enraged him. For the first time, he could see true killing intent like a Saiyan. It looked odd on his son given that he kept Gine's sweet face.

His son was now a man, battling another Namekian in that contest. Why were there two Namekians on this planet? This world wasn't Namek and the Namekians weren't known for being spacefaring. And why did they both feel like the same person for some reason?

Now there were in a rocky plain and he saw his son staring down none other than Prince Vegeta. Why was he fighting the Saiyan Prince? What was happening?

The two charged each other...

"Bardock! Bardock, wake up!"

He jolted awake and grabbed the arm of the person who was shaking him, nearly breaking it.

"Dammit Bardock! Let go!" the voice of Tora screamed.

He snapped out of his dream and stared at his old friend in shock. "Tora..." He immediately let go of his arm.

Tora rubbed his rapidly swollen arm. "Sheesh, that's the last time I try to wake you up."

Bardock rubbed his head as the last of the dream faded from his mind.

"You were having that nightmare again?" Tora asked, although he already knew the answer.

He nodded. "Yeah, but it was more intense this time."

Tora frowned. "Those dream have been getting worse. Maybe you should see a doctor about them."

He shook his head. "I've already seen a doctor several times in the last three years. Whatever's happening to me, they have no clue what it is."

And he hated it. Since the day that Kanassan struck him, he had been having haunting dreams. The details were always lost to him after he woke up, but it always started the same. He saw a planet being destroyed, that blue world, and his son. How did those three connect together?

Tora sighed as he relaxed near the campfire. "I don't know what to tell you. At this rate, you're going to make yourself sick."

"It hasn't happened yet," Bardock tried to make light of his situation as he glanced around the camp. Thankfully, his nightmare didn't wake any of his other crew members. "Since I won't be getting anymore sleep tonight, I will take the reminder watch."

"Are you sure?" Tora questioned in concern. "You haven't slept peacefully in a long time."

"I'm fine. I'm used to functioning with only a few hours of sleep," Bardock said, leaving no room for argument.

Tora sighed in defeat. "Well...whatever you say." He suddenly became dead serious. "Just...don't be afraid to tell me anything. We've been friends for a long time. There are no secrets between us."

Bardock smirked. "Don't go getting soft on me. We need to be ready to purge this planet tomorrow."

Tora chuckled. "You know me."

"Which is why I'm worried," Bardock joked as Tora went to his sleeping bag. Within a few minutes, he was dead asleep.

He envied his old friend. He hadn't been able to sleep that well in years. That stupid Kanassan really did curse him.

He went to put more wood into the fire when he once again saw a flash of a planet being destroyed. This time, it was much clearer. He could actually see the planet. It was red planet, as red as blood. It looked familiar.

Bardock rapidly shook his head, trying to clear his head from the vision.

Dammit. Not only was he having more bad dreams, but his waking nightmares were getting worse, too. It was getting to the point that it was driving him insane.

" _I can tell you that the future that lies before you is a curse one. That the karma you Saiyans have built over your lifetime evil will finally come back to you. And you, Bardock, will be the first to see that future. You will see the horror of your end, just like we had to._ "

Bardock slammed his fist into the fire. "Dammit...get out of my head..."

" _Why? Isn't this the power you slaughter my people for?_ " the voice answered back. " _The power to foresee your own fate? Don't you like the future you Saiyans have created?_ "

Bardock growled under his breathe. Now the voice was mocking him. Perhaps he really was going crazy.

"That Kanassan is just trying to get to me. There's nothing for us Saiyans to fear. We are the mightiest in the universe. None surpass us," he whispered to himself.

Still, he was left shaken. He felt death in the air and this time, it was aimed at their enemies.

* * *

Frieza was all but skipping as he made his way to the detention center. He was supposed to bring his father, but he was just too excited.

After three long years, that stubborn Kanassan had finally cracked.

As it should be. The interrogator they got was the best in the universe. No one, no matter how foolishly stubborn, could hide anything for him. He had a way of getting information out of person, no matter how long it took. The man was cold, heartless, and ruthless, someone after his own heart.

The guards stepped aside as he entered the interrogation room. The place stunk, causing him to cover his nose. While he loved seeing others in pain, he hated when they defecated on themselves. So undignified.

He looked to see the Kanassan, strung up like the fish he was. He was missing both of his legs and eyes. He was bleeding badly from several wounds across his body and was breathing hard.

The interrogator did quite a number on him, yet managed to keep him alive all this time. Truly a professional.

The interrogator in question was standing near the prisoner, looking almost bored. "Prince Frieza." He bowed before his lord.

"So, our little fish is finally ready to talk," Frieza mused.

The interrogator smiled. "Of course." He looked over the prisoner like he was prize piece of meat. "He was a tough subject. The toughest I've ever had the honor of breaking. He truly tested my ability to cause as much pain as possible without causing death. I am little sad that he broke. There were several more techniques I wanted to try on him."

Frieza laughed. "I can understand your feelings. Breaking a subject is always a bittersweet experience."

The interrogator poked the Kanassan in the ribs. "Wake up! Prince Frieza is here!"

The Kanassan groaned as he stared at Frieza with his empty eye sockets.

"Hello there, my good sir," Frieza greeted in a pleasant tone. "I was told that you have some things to tell me."

The Kanassan took several deep breaths. "The...prophecy... You wanted to hear it..."

Frieza smiled. "Of course. You had me waiting for three long years. If you had just told me from the start, you could have avoided all this discomfort."

The Kanassan grunted. "Was...was not the time..."

Frieza raised an eyebrow. "And now is the time?"

"There is one destine to beat you...one shrouded in legend," the Kanassan huffed. "The one who will...vanquish you...is the Super Saiyan."

There was a long pause as Frieza took in the Kanassan's words.

After a few seconds, Frieza began to laugh. "A Super Saiyan, really? You honestly believe that an overgrown monkey will be the one to end me?" He laughed louder. "You must have lost your mind from the torture. If you think one of those filthy apes is going to be your savior, your stupid race died for nothing." He smirked. " _No_ Saiyan is a match for me, and even if they were, they sure in hell wouldn't save the universe. They are coldblooded killers, all of them. They are _my_ beasts of death."

The Kanassan smirked under his pain. "Perhaps...they are beasts. But...it is the Super Saiyan who will beat you... The one covered in gold..."

This made Frieza stopped laughing. He glared at the prisoner. "What do you know of the warrior in gold?"

The Kanassan chuckled little before coughing. "So...you have seen it. The vision of the warrior with a golden aura filled with rage and bloodlust. A warrior awakening by intense hatred. _That_...is a Super Saiyan."

Frieza said nothing.

The interrogator laughed. "What nonsense." He turned towards Frieza. "I apologize, my prince, it seems that I may have knocked some screws loose. This is nothing more than the babbling of a madman."

The Kanassan smirked. "Is it...?"

Frieza quickly regained his composure. "Of course it is nonsense. A Saiyan having the power to defeat me, nothing but babble." He sweated a little. "But we must not take any chances."

The interrogator paused. "My prince?"

He turned away from the man. "Tell father that I am heading out. Oh, and don't kill that Kanassan. Not yet, anyway."

Without another word, he left the room. Despite his seemingly calm facade, he was fuming inside.

" _How did that Kanassan know about my dreams_?" Frieza asked himself. " _I told no one. Not even father. If he knows, that means the stories of the Kanassans being able to foresee the future were true after all. I would have felt it if he tried to read my mind. Which means, they may be some truth to this Super Saiyan business._ "

He got into the elevator and hit the button that would take him to the main hanger.

" _I cannot see how any Saiyan can challenged me. They have grown stronger over the years, but I can easily beat any of them without even transforming, including their king. Although, Prince Vegeta has shown a lot of promise, more than any Saiyan in existence. Could he be this Super Saiyan?_ " he wondered as he narrowed his eyes. " _I would hate to destroy such talent on a mere hunch. I need to learn more about this Super Saiyan before acting._ "

He stepped out of the elevator and heading towards his ship. The soldiers in the area saluted him.

"Prince Frieza! We were not informed you were heading out," one of the soldier said.

"I will be out for awhile. Gather my men at once," he ordered.

"Yes, my prince!" the soldier exclaimed as he ran out of the hanger.

One way or another, he was going to unravel the mystery of this suppose _Super_ Saiyan.

* * *

Gine finished reading the story to her son and closed the book. She smiled tenderly at Kakarot. He has gotten so big. In just another month he would finally be ready to come out.

She frowned.

Would he be like Raditz, who was cold and distance to her? Or, would he invite her in and let her be his mother? Was he going to be like all the other Saiyans, or was he a reject?

She knew if he turned out like her, his life would be a cursed one. It was best that he became a true Saiyan like his father and brother, and yet...she couldn't help but want him to be different. To be a Saiyan that had a heart...

"Gine, it's late. You should head home," Malaka suggested as he walked towards her.

She nodded. "I know. I just wanted to finish this story to Kakarot."

"Aw, you did the same thing for Raditz when he was here," Malaka noted with a small smile. "How is the boy?"

Gine smiled. "He's a full-fledge warrior now. He's fighting on the front lines with the prince."

"Prince Vegeta? That's surprising. I mean...given his rank..." Malaka tried to say without putting his foot in his mouth.

"You don't have to be nice about it," Gine said. "It is unusual that a low class warrior would be paired with the prince, but it happened under the orders of King Vegeta. He wants the prince to be able to lead any team, not just elites."

"I see. King Vegeta can be very wise," Malaka replied before his face suddenly became grim. "But...I have been hearing some disturbing rumors about him."

Gine looked at Malaka.

"They say he is preparing to lead a revolt against Lord Frieza," Malaka stated.

She shook her head. "Just rumors spoken by the drunks. King Vegeta would _never_ do that. Frieza has brought many good things to Planet Vegeta."

As much as she disliked Frieza and the worked they did under him, the Saiyans have been better off since he annexed them. Food was plentiful, Saiyans had stopped fighting among themselves and their population was growing again, and they always had work. In exchanged, Frieza got their power, which had expanded his empire across several galaxies. It was a nearly perfect arrangement.

But...she knew it wasn't all-good.

Frieza had taking a real liking towards Prince Vegeta to the point of sending him on personal missions without the king's permission. He even allowed the prince to train in his personal elite training centers. There were even talks of Frieza officially making the prince part of the Frieza Force as one of the commanders who serves directly under him.

To most, becoming a key member of Frieza's inner circle was a great honor. If you got into Frieza's good graces, you were set for life. He gave his top commanders planets to rule over for goodness sake, and they lived like kings. Only the best of the best were worthy to serve by Frieza's side.

Granted, falling out of Frieza's favor also meant instant death, but it was a small price to pay for most.

For the Saiyans, however, being put on the Frieza Force or becoming one with Frieza's inner circle was being promoted to lapdog.

The Saiyans prided themselves on their independence, even if they were forced to work under Frieza. To have their best be taking from them and groomed to be one of Frieza's lackeys was seen as a major insult.

She understood the anger, but she couldn't see King Vegeta acting against Frieza. As strong as their king was, Frieza's power was on a completely different league if even half of the stories were to be believed.

"I hope for the sake of your people it's true," Malaka spoke, interrupting her thoughts. "Lord Frieza is extremely kind and generous to those who are loyal to him." His face darkened. "...Those who are disloyal..."

He didn't have to finish. Gine knew that those who upset Frieza tended to disappear and that was the best case scenario. At worse, you get your body displayed after Frieza and his men finished torturing you. The Frieza's planets were littered with the corpses.

She got up from her seat. "I better get going. I don't want to be tired for work." She turned towards the incubator. She leaned forward and gentle kissed the cold glass. "Good night, Kakarot. I'll see you tomorrow."

Kakarot shifted in the incubator, almost like he had heard her.

* * *

Vegeta took a wide bite as he chewed the remains of one of the inhabitants. Although these people were no matched for him, at least they were fairly tasty. At the same time, it would be nice of Frieza to send them to worlds with somewhat decent food. He never cared for eating humanoids.

"As expected of Prince Vegeta," Nappa said as he cooked the remaining meat. "You all but single-handily wiped out these wimps. Frieza is going to need to send you on more challenging missions if he wants to really test you."

Raditz said nothing as he stared into the fire.

"Yeah, I hope the next assignment will be more challenging," Vegeta said as he munched on the arm. "I'm starting to get bored."

Nappa snickered. "I expect nothing less from the Saiyan prince." He glanced at Raditz. "Hey, aren't you going to eat? We don't need you collapsing from hungry when we go on our next mission."

Raditz lifted his head, trying to hide his emotions. He gave a forced smile. "Yes. Of course."

He took the pre-offered meat from the older Saiyan.

Vegeta snorted. "Why do you even humor him? Rather he eats or not, he will most likely get killed on the next mission. I don't see how we got stuck with this low class."

"He maybe a weakling, but he does show some promise. His father is quite powerful for a lower class soldier. Maybe some of that will rub off on him," Nappa replied as he took a big chuck of his food from the fire.

"Trash will always be trash," Vegeta dismissed. "How great one becomes is determined at birth. No amount of hard work can change that. Some of us are born to become stars." He glanced at Raditz. "While others are destined to become pebbles."

Raditz winced at Vegeta's words, but tried to hide it. He didn't want to believe that. His dad became a competent warrior through just hard work. He was a lower class soldier that managed to gain some respect among the upper class.

But...he also had the blood of a reject within him. That same blood made him hesitant to kill. Even after so many years of training, he still paused when it came to giving to killing blow.

Dammit!

Why was he cursed in this way? He wanted to become a first-class warrior, not a failure of a soldier like his mother. He had to try harder to harden his heart. To destroy this softness that lied within him. Then...he would finally gain the prince's respect and become a true Saiyan warrior. He wasn't trash. He wasn't a failure.

Nappa laughed at Vegeta's statement. "Yeah, that's true. Bardock maybe strong for a lower class warrior, but he's still little more than an arrogant upstart who thinks he's bigger than what he is."

Vegeta crushed the meat in his hand. "Upstart is right. That guy had the nerve to speak back to _me_ when I was forced to work with his band of misfits on an assignment."

Nappa raised an eyebrow. "Really? I'm surprised you didn't beat him up."

Vegeta said nothing, but he was extremely unhappy. He looked closed to boiling over with rage.

Raditz knew that Prince Vegeta had a bad run in with his father, which was partly why he tended to take out his frustrations on him. He knew it would be suicidal to ask what happened and it annoyed him that he was being punished for his old man's stupidity.

Still, it was surprising that Vegeta didn't beat up or even kill his old man. Although it was against the law for a Saiyan to kill another Saiyan outside of a very strict guideline, Vegeta could literally get away with murder since he was the prince.

"Hey Vegeta, did you hear the latest news?" Nappa suddenly asked. "I've heard that Frieza is visiting Planet Vegeta."

"Such things doesn't hold my interest," Vegeta answered in a bored tone.

Nappa folded his arms. "It may concern you, actually. Frieza could be taking you into the Frieza Force."

This made Raditz's head shoot up. "But there has never been a Saiyan officially on the Frieza Force."

"Exactly," Nappa said. "This would be big news if it's true."

"Rather I work on a Saiyan force or Frieza's, it doesn't matter to me," Vegeta replied coldly. "My only interest is becoming stronger." He smirked. "Strong enough to surpass Frieza."

Both Raditz and Nappa stared at him like he had grown a second head.

"Surpass Frieza?" Raditz repeated in disbelief.

Was that even possible? Frieza was said to be invincible. Not even King Vegeta and all his elites could do a thing against Frieza.

Vegeta's smirk got even wider. He was obviously enjoying their expressions. "You guys think it's impossible."

Nappa quickly raised his hands. "Of...of course not! Anything is possible for you, my prince!"

"Yes...yes, naturally," Raditz stuttered, not sounding at all confident.

"Your boot-licking is pathetic," Vegeta mocked. "Have you two forgotten that _I_ am the greatest of all Saiyans? The peak of the supreme warrior race that has ever grace the universe. In a few short years, I will surpass my old man and become the strongest Saiyan in history. And then, I will ascend even further." His eyes narrowed. "I _will_ become a Super Saiyan!"

There was a very long silence as the two Saiyans took in Vegeta's words.

Raditz could barely register what he was hearing. A Super Saiyan? But that was just a legend, a folklore passed down from ages long gone. No one honestly believed in a Super Saiyan. It's about as nonsense as that story about some 'righteous' Saiyans banding together to create a god. Surely, the Saiyan Prince wouldn't believe in such children stories.

"There is no doubt of your greatness," Nappa spoke after he found his voice. "But a Super Saiyan is just a story told to children. I have no doubt you can surpass Frieza some day, but you don't need a fairytale to do it."

"Disbelieve all you want, but I _will_ become a Super Saiyan and become the new emperor of the universe," Vegeta vowed as he clenched his right hand. "Then, I will restore the Saiyans to their rightful place in the universe. We will be lapdogs to no one. We will spread terror and fear across the universe." He slowly opened his palm. "We shall become the beasts of death once again."

Raditz's felt his heart beat faster.

For a moment, he believed in Vegeta's words. And why shouldn't he? He was the greatest of all Saiyans, the best born in generations. If anyone could defeat Frieza and become this Super Saiyan, it was him.

Nappa laughed. "I looked forward to that day. We will finally be able to do whatever we want without that pink horned lizard looking over our shoulder."

"That's why I need to go on more tougher assignments. I need to get stronger and stronger," Vegeta said. "I won't get any stronger fighting these weaklings." He threw the remains of his meat into the campfire.

"Hopefully we will get our new assignment tomorrow," Nappa said as he finished his food.

Raditz stared back into the fire.

The thought of rebelling against Frieza both terrified and excited him. It truly felt like he was a part of history. If he could become stronger, he could be a general fighting by Prince Vegeta's side as he took down the suppose ruler of the universe. He would finally gain glory and break free of his mother's curse.

He smiled. It was a day to look forward to.

* * *

Frieza stared at the Planet Vegeta through the opened window of his spaceship. His unannounced arrival has caused quite a stir on the red planet.

King Vegeta was all but falling over himself trying to please him, which always amused him.

However, he could see in the king's eyes the fire of rebelling. He had them since the day he annex his planet. He had hoped that Vegeta would eventually come to his senses and accept his position as his underling, but the good king still had ideas of overthrowing him. He heard the rumors just like everyone else.

It was utterly ridiculous.

That fool must know that he stood no chance against him even if he rallied the entire planet against him and became those giant apes. Why were the Saiyans such prideful idiots? If they just accepted their inferiority, they would be much happier.

But you cannot fix stubbornness and stupidity, and the Saiyans had both of those unfortunate traits.

The door to his chambers opened and one of his men came walking in. It was one of the shorter aliens who worked for him, usually as an informant.

"We have finished our survey of the planet," the solider said.

"And?" Frieza asked, not bothering to turn towards the man.

"The Saiyans have no real clue what a Super Saiyan is," the soldier answered. "To them, it is some heroic legend that has been past down since the time of their original planet. According to the story, a Super Saiyan is born once every thousand or so years."

"Really?" Frieza questioned with interest.

"Yes. They say that the Super Saiyan was once the strongest being in the universe and was widely feared. The last Super Saiyan was supposedly only able to exist in their transformed state and became so out of control that they destroyed themselves along with a planet," the solider stated.

Frieza laughed. "That sounds like the Saiyans. So barbaric and stupid that they destroyed themselves with their own power. A fitting end."

"Some of the older Saiyans also talk about something called a Super Saiyan God," the soldier went on.

Frieza stopped laughing. "A Super Saiyan God?"

"It's even more shrouded in mystery than the Super Saiyan," the soldier explained. "According to the old folks, a Super Saiyan God only appears when the light of righteous Saiyans become one."

Frieza snorted. "Righteous Saiyans? What an oxymoron. Even more nonsense than this Super Saiyan."

The soldier nodded in agreement. "Honestly, all this Super Saiyan stuff sounds like something out of an old book. The Saiyans don't even have a clue what one even looks like. I doubt one ever existed. Or, if one did, it was just an unusually strong Saiyan, most likely a mutant."

"That sounds about right," Frieza said more to himself.

It seemed that Kanassan was talking out of madness. Not even the Saiyans knew what this Super Saiyan was, let alone if this supposed strongest being in the universe was gold.

But still...those visions he's been having along with his feelings of foreboding disturbed him and the Saiyans were the only connection he had to them. He still couldn't wrap his mind around the idea that a Saiyan of all beings could defeat him...but...

"I think King Vegeta is planning a coup," he told his subordinate.

"Those are just mere rumors, my lord," the soldier replied. "Not even King Vegeta would be foolish enough to turn against you."

"You underestimate how foolish the Saiyans can be," Frieza said as his eyes narrowed. "King Vegeta has never liked being under me, but he has become more apparent about it after I have taken an interest in his son."

The soldier sighed. "Such a shame. Most would see it as a great privilege to be part of the Frieza Force."

"Which is why I have decided to wipe them out," Frieza announced, finally making up his mind.

The soldier stepped back in shock. "What!?"

"I have made my decision. I am going to destroy the Saiyans along with their planet," Frieza stated with absolution.

"Sire, is that really necessary? If it is only King Vegeta, you can just execute him along with anyone who sides with him," the soldier advised. "It seems wasteful to destroy the lot of them, especially since they are some of our best fighters."

"The Saiyan race as a whole are too prideful to be truly loyal to me," Frieza stated. "Killing their king would just be a short term solution. Besides, I want to be certain that this Super Saiyan and Super Saiyan God business is properly dealt with. Although they are just heroic lore, I cannot overlook the slightly possibility."

The soldier nodded in understanding. "That is a pity. The Saiyans make really good combatants."

Frieza huffed at that.

"Are you going to destroy the planet now, my lord?" the soldier asked.

"No. Too many of the Saiyans are currently off world. I want to destroy as many as possible," Frieza said as he tapped his fingers against his chair. "I want you to send out an order. Tell all the Saiyans to return to Planet Vegeta, at once."

"But sire, if you give that order, it will also summon Prince Vegeta," the soldier pointed out. "Despite your grievous with the Saiyans, I know you don't want to destroy such promising talent."

Frieza closed his eyes. "Knowing Vegeta, he will most likely ignore the order. He's like his father in that way. That is fine, though. I am not quite ready to give up on him."

The soldier nodded. "Understood my lord. I will send the order at once."

"How long will it take for all the Saiyans to return?" Frieza asked.

The soldier hummed in thought. "Most should be back in maybe a month. But it will probably take longer for every single one of them to return. Especially the ones on those frontier planets. We must also account for the Saiyans sending their children off into space."

Frieza groaned. "I cannot wait that long. I will destroy the planet in a month."

This made the soldier raised an eyebrow. "But won't the surviving Saiyans be suspicious of you?"

Frieza dismissively waved his hand. "Just tell them that a huge meteor fell on the planet. Besides, Saiyans are only truly dangerous in groups. With their numbers greatly reduced, they won't amount to anything." He looked at his subordinate from the corner of his eye. "Now get to it, and make sure you tell the Saiyans that they're not allowed to send any children off on missions. Also, quietly remove our men from the planet. I don't want them becoming suspicious."

The soldier gave a slight bow. "As you command, my lord." He walked out of the room to get the arrangement together.

Frieza went back to staring at Planet Vegeta. "Super Saiyan, huh? Well that little legend is about to disappear into space dust. If such a warrior does exist, he will be dead by the end of the month." He laughed darkly as the light of Planet Vegeta shone on him.

* * *

 **This was a full chapter despite Bardock and Gine have such little screen time. We got to finally see our favorite Saiyan Prince and all his douchebagness along with Nappa and Raditz. We got the legend of the Super Saiyan along with some tidbits on Super Saiyan God, and Frieza has also made his decision to wipe out the Saiyans and the stage is set for the final days of the Saiyans.**

 **Dark Princess, thank you for your review. We are definitely reaching the climax, although not everyone is quite where they need to be. As for your story idea, I am not really AUs, especially high school AUs. Read too many of them when I first started in this fandom.**


	15. Decision

**Here is the next chapter ready for your reading enjoyments. As always, thank you for your reviews, favorites, and follows. It is always good to know that so many are enjoying the story.**

 **Now, to the chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 15: Decision**

* * *

Bardock grinned in delight as he brutally kicked his opponent, knocking its gun out of their hands. He finished the poor sap with an energy blast to the chest.

Now this was more like it. Finally, a job worthy of his time. It's been too long since has been this excited for a battle.

He heard the aliens shout cusses in a language that he couldn't understand as his crew mauled them down. Apparently, they spoke in a language that wasn't covered under the universal translator. How could such a backwater planet have such talented fighters, he didn't know.

Oh well, it isn't like it mattered in any case. They would all be wiped out by the end of the day.

His scouter beeped, but he paid no attention to it. Whoever was calling could wait.

"Hey, Bardock!" Tora shouted over the roar of battle, as he took out his own opponent with a well-placed energy blast. "We got a priority one order from the Frieza Force!"

"If they need help on another assignment, tell them we're busy," Bardock said, punching another opponent and dodging a shot from a gun.

"It isn't that!" Tora shouted, gutting another fighter. "We've been order to retreat."

This surprised Bardock so much that he froze in the middle of the battle. One of his opponents attempted to take advantage of this, aiming its gun at him.

It was stopped when Shugesh blew its head off. "Don't drop you guard, Bardock."

Bardock paid no attention to Shugesh. "What's this about retreating?"

"Just got the order a minute ago," Tora stated, still listening to the message. "We're being ordered to return to Planet Vegeta, immediately."

Now Shugesh was stunned. "Return to Vegeta? Why?"

Tora shook his head. "The message doesn't say. Only that this is a direct order from Frieza himself."

"Frieza?" Bardock repeated. This was very odd and troubling. Frieza has _never_ directed the Saiyans before. That was King Vegeta's duty.

While they were talking, Borgos was covering them. Fasha was also helping out, but was also listening in to the current conversation.

"That's weird. We've never been ordered back in the middle of a mission," Fasha said while dodging several energy blasts.

"Maybe it's a big job," Shugesh suggested as Borgos vaporize an opponent behind him.

"But to order us back before we finished things here," Tora said, not buying it.

Bardock rubbed his hair. "I don't know what's going on, but I'm not leaving half-ass work." He glared at his opponents. "Let's finish cleaning up the trash here."

The crew cheered in excitement as they went back to work.

As Bardock predicted, the planet was theirs before nightfall. The inhabitants gave one hell of a fight before going down; they were simply no matched for them.

Bardock smiled to himself as he looked over his work. The ground was littered with corpses and he could see the ruined cities in the distance.

His crew has become so powerful that they hardly needed the full moon anymore except for emergencies. It was nice to do big jobs like these without needing to transform as a crutch, even if he could control his Great Ape form better.

"Aww, it feels good being able to cut loose like that," Shugesh said as they made their way to their attack pods. "Hopefully we will get more jobs like these in the future. No more quick jobs."

Fasha hummed. She had a frown on her face. "I still wonder why we 're being called back in the middle of a mission. This has never happened before."

"I still say it's because Frieza has a really big job for us. Hopefully another Federal Alliance," Shugesh said eagerly.

"I guess that would explain why we were called back," Fasha said, slowly warming up to the idea.

"I don't know. This all feels very suspicious," Tora said, folding his arms. "They won't just tell us to retreat just to prepare for big operation. I mean...even with the Federal Alliance no Saiyan was told to abandon an assignment."

"Well, we won't know until we get back," Bardock said. He started to feel ill again. Dammit. And when he was having such a nice day too.

"Is your headache returning?" Borgos asked in concern.

Bardock shook his head. "Just a mild one. Nothing serious."

Truthfully, his headaches and visions were becoming worse, especially over the last couple of weeks. He kept sensing death and that feeling of dread has only increased after they were given the order to return home.

Something was wrong. _Very_ wrong.

"In any case, I hope we're not grounded long," Shugesh said as he opened his pod. "I don't think I'll survive on Vegeta for too long."

Tora turned towards Bardock. "I suppose you're going to spend time with you wife once we reach the planet."

Bardock forced a smile. "Of course. And may even see Kakarot."

This made Tora paused. "Huh? When did you start taking an interest in your son?"

"I really don't know. I just have," he answered as he leaned against his attack ball.

Truthfully, he didn't have that much interest in his second son. But...something was compelling him to see him. Perhaps it was because of those visions where he kept seeing his son battling on that blue planet against Namekians and Prince Vegeta. Despite being born so weak, he was somehow able to hold is own against them.

What could it mean? Was his son incorrectly tested? That couldn't be it...could it?

He opened his attack ball and climbed in. He was thinking too much again. He needed to clear his head otherwise he would drive himself crazy.

He folded his arms as the hatch to his pod closed and he felt it take off. It would be about a week before he returned to Vegeta. The trip wouldn't feel long to him since the stasis mode would activate in just a few minutes.

"Why I am worry about going to Vegeta? It could be just as Shugesh said. We could just be getting a really big job," he whispered to himself.

" _Do you truly believe that, Bardock?_ " a voice whispered in his head.

He jolted. It was him. That Kanassan. He hadn't heard his voice in weeks. "You again?"

Just as he spoke those works, the stasis mode of the pod activated and he was quickly put to sleep. That didn't stop the voice from haunting him in his dreams.

 _"I can tell you that the future that lies before you is a curse one. That the karma you Saiyans have built over your lifetime evil will finally come back to you. And you, Bardock, will be the first to see that future. You will see the horror of your end, just like we had to._ "

A planet exploded and he could hear the laugh, clearer than ever. It was filled with malice and sadistic delight.

" _What is this_!?" he demanded the voice.

" _Your future. The future that you Saiyans have created for yourselves. The day of your reckoning is at hand_ ," the voice whispered.

He saw an attack ball landing on that blue planet and his son stepping out of it.

" _What does my son has to do with any of this?_ " he asked.

" _He is our salvation,_ " the voice answered.

Now Bardock was really confused. " _What?_ "

Another vision came to him and he saw King Vegeta standing before a squad filled with Saiyans. Among the faces were those of his crew.

" _Today is the day that we take back our pride!_ " King Vegeta declared. " _Today, we will win back our freedom from that tyrant and take his place as rulers of the universe!_ "

The squad cheered at the king's words.

" _You are all the best this world have to offer. Some of you were born elites, while others among you climbed the ranks and have proven yourselves as true Saiyan warriors. When the day is won, all you shall be generals at my side!_ " King Vegeta vowed.

This made another loud cheer go out, several Saiyans pumped their fists into the air.

" _Now, join me! Join me in killing Frieza! For the glory of the Saiyan Empire!_ " the king shouted.

More cheers went out before the scene suddenly turned red and fire enveloped the vision. A loud explosion rung through his ears and he could hear someone laughing.

Bardock shot awake. His heart pounded and his head throbbed. He actually felt physically sick.

He looked out his window and saw Planet Vegeta ahead. What more, from the corner of the planet, he saw an oval space ship floating within the stratosphere. From the memory of his fuzzy mind, he recognized it as Frieza's ship.

"Frieza's here... Why?" he whispered.

Frieza rarely visited Planet Vegeta. He only came here to see the king on pressing issues. Was he here to take Prince Vegeta per the recent rumors?

No...that wasn't it….

He looked towards Vegeta and, for a brief moment, he saw it crack and exploded into the emptiness of space.

His eyes widened as the realization hit him like a fist to the face.

The planet he kept seeing being destroyed for all these years... It was Vegeta! But why? Why would Vegeta be destroyed?

He glanced at Frieza's ship, which hovered above the planet like a shadow.

Was it Frieza?

That didn't make any sense. Why would Frieza destroy Vegeta? None of this made any sense. Perhaps it was his mind playing tricks on him and it was all nothing. Frieza would gain nothing from destroying them, especially with all the work they had done under him. They were his most powerful soldiers. They were far more competent that the Frieza Force.

It was all just foolish dreams. Nothing more.

The attack balls landed and to Bardock shock, the entire landing area was filled. There were pods everywhere and people were bunched into each other.

"Whoa. Looks like a reunion is happening here," Fasha said as she climbed out of her attack ball. "I haven't seen so many Saiyan here in my entire life."

"Yeah, this is strange," Tora said as he looked around.

"Hey Bardock, still alive I see!" one of the Saiyans shouted over the crowd.

Bardock rubbed his head, trying to rid himself from the last of his nightmare. "Hey, have you heard anything about why we've been summon back!?"

The Saiyan shrugged. "Have no clue. From what I've heard, they're summoning all the Saiyans back here."

Shugesh's eyes widened. "All?"

"Yeah. Every Saiyan got the return order," one of them said. "We're not even allowed to launch pods with infiltration babies. Everyone is effectively grounded."

Tora narrowed his eyes. "Why would they go that far? Why the hell would they ground infiltration babies?"

Bardock clenched his hand. He got a bad feeling. None of this was right.

"Yeah, which sucks since my kid is almost ready to come out of the incubator," one of them whined. "Since they won't be shipped out, I have to bring it home. Maybe I can dump it with its mother."

Borgos frowned. "There is no practical reason to detain the infiltration babies. They would be useless in a big invasion, even with their programming complete."

"Maybe we're worrying about nothing. This could be a drill or something," Fasha tried to assure her team; although she didn't sound like she believed her own words.

Bardock got his belongings and began to make his way towards the meat factory. Perhaps things would make more sense once he saw Gine. Right now, he was all messed up.

"Oh, just a head up!" one of the Saiyans suddenly shouted. "Some guys from the Frieza's Force were asking around about the Super Saiyan."

This made Bardock stop walking and faced the man. "Super Saiyan? As in the legendary warrior?"

The man nodded. "Yeah. They were all over the place earlier, asking about what we knew about it."

Shugesh snickered. "Didn't know Frieza's men were into fairytales. Did they ask about the God of Destruction too?"

Tora's frown grew deeper. "Why would Frieza even care about local folklore?"

"Who knows what's up with his tiny little mind," Shugesh dismissed. "If you ask me, Frieza has gone bonkers."

"Be careful with what you say," Bardock warned him as he glanced around. "Frieza's men can easily be in the area and they can listen in on your scouter."

"Oh, forgot about that," Shugesh said as he removed his scouter. "Wearing these things is kind of second nature."

Tora took off his scouter. "Good idea. We don't need them hearing us."

Borgos and Fasha quickly did the same.

Bardock took the time to finally leave. The streets were crowded and he heard people shout greetings at him. There were many people here he hadn't seen in years and didn't even know they were still alive.

It was strange seeing Vegeta so populated. It actually looked like a real functioning planet. He knew Gine would be having a hard time since she now had to cut meat for everyone returning home and the meat plant was already understaff. He wondered if this was really a good time to see her.

He rubbed his head. His headache was getting worse.

Maybe he should consider lying down for a while. This stupid headache just wasn't going away and the heat from the planet wasn't making it any better.

He suddenly felt the ground rumble. He looked down to see the road cracking like there was a major earthquake.

Something complied him to look up and what he saw was a giant energy ball, the biggest he had ever seen, heading right for the planet. It was like someone was dropping the sun on them. That thing was big enough to destroy Vegeta twice over!

He could only stare in terror as death heading right for him. Even before the energy ball touched ground, the planet was already tearing itself apart from the sheer force of the power heading towards it.

He opened his mouth to shout...

When he blinked, he found himself back on the crowded street.

Everyone was walking like normal and the ground was no longer breaking apart. He looked up and didn't see the energy ball anymore. Just the two suns.

What the hell just happened? Was it another waking nightmare? Or...was it a warning?

"Damn it all," he whispered as he continued towards the factory.

Within a few minutes, he was inside the crowded building where Saiyans ate and got wasted. The place was loud and hot, which didn't help his headache.

He moved past the crowd until he saw Gine, who was chopping up several large slabs of meat. She looked tired from all the extra work.

"Hey, I'm home," he called to his wife with a smile on his face.

Gine stopped chopping and turned around in surprise. "Bardock!" She ran into his arms as she always did to greet him. "Welcome home!"

He wrapped her in his arms. Suddenly, all the vision and the pain in his head disappeared. "It's good to be home." He nearly fell into Gine when someone bumped into him. "The town sounds like we're having a festival."

Gine smiled. "Yeah. It's because everyone's back. This is the first time in a generation that all the Saiyans have been home."

"Well, that's the life of a spacefaring society," Bardock said as he pulled away from Gine. "Where's Raditz? Has he returned?"

Gine shook her head. "He became a full warrior some time ago and was sent off. He's currently on Prince Vegeta's team. Since they tend to do far off worlds, he hasn't come back yet."

Bardock groaned when he heard the prince's name. "Prince Vegeta, huh? That boy got one pain in the neck partner." He had the unfortunate honor of working on the prince's team.

Never again.

The prince was extremely talented and indeed worthy of being called the greatest Saiyan of a generation, but he was an asshole.

He allowed his rank to go to his head, and he disregard orders and charged into enemy territory, putting everyone in grave danger. His carelessness actually did get one person killed. It could have been far worse if the prince, despite his shortcomings, wasn't able to one-man army the enemy's line until backup arrived.

Still, he gave the boy an earful for what he did. Which naturally led to the prince attacking him, actually trying to kill him. It wouldn't have been good for him to beat up the crown prince, although he _really_ wanted to, so he chose to skillfully dodge his attacks.

The prince quickly got the idea that he wasn't some low class pansy who was just going to roll over and die, and he left him alone, although he did read the report Vegeta gave about him. He in turn wrote a report about the prince that would have undoubtedly gotten him executed if he said those things to his face.

Needless to say, they never worked with each other again. To think that short temper brat was going to be their king one day. Hopefully, he would be dead by then.

Gine frowned. "Yeah, I've heard Prince Vegeta can be rough. Several people who were once under him refuses to team up with him again." She put her hands to her chest. "I hope Raditz's is okay."

"If he can survive Prince Vegeta, he can survive anything," Bardock replied.

For some odd reason, he felt relieved hearing that Raditz was with the prince, despite his strong dislike for the boy. Knowing Vegeta and his, 'I'm the prince, I can do whatever I want', attitude, he probably wouldn't be coming to Planet Vegeta regardless of Frieza's order. Frieza also favored the prince too much to really punished him.

Which meant he didn't have to worry about Raditz being caught up in Frieza's scheme.

"Are you okay?" Gine asked in worry, grabbing his hand. "You must be tired. Why don't you go home and rest. I will be off work in a couple hours."

He shook his head. "I'm fine." He looked towards his wife. "Is Kakarot still in the incubator?"

Gine was shocked by the question.

This was the first time Bardock had _ever_ asked about his younger child. While Bardock was at least willing to tolerate Raditz's existence, he hadn't extended that level of interest in Kakarot. She knew Bardock was ashamed of him since was born with such a low power level that was dirt even for a lower class warrior. He would have disowned their son completely if it wasn't for her.

"Yeah. It's been three years, so I'll be getting him out soon," she answered.

"Can I see him?" he asked, startling her more.

She wasn't sure what had brought this changed in him, but she felt happy. Maybe he was finally taking an interest in their child. "Of course."

She dropped her worked, happy for the break, and led her husband to the medical center. The center was actually quite full since all the babies, even the ones were ready to be brought out, were being kept because of the hold order. None of the parents wanted to bring their children home.

She gave a tender smile when she saw her son. The vaccination process was finally completed and there was color in Kakarot's skin.

She felt a swell of pride.

All the doctors except for Planthorr and to a lesser extent Malaka though he would die long before this point. The odds of him surviving the surgery to just have his translator put in were extremely low given his meager battle power. When he survived that, they say he would die from the vaccinations.

But he lived through all of it.

Despite being so weak, he survived when babies stronger than him had died. That told her that he was born for something special. Something more than just being a lower class outcast.

"He's grown big," Bardock noted barely above a whisper. His son looked exactly as he did in his visions.

Gine nodded. "He looks more like you everyday. He definitely has your will to live."

He stared at the incubator and just like the first time he met his son, he placed his hand on the glass.

The rushed of visions returned so rapidly that he couldn't keep up with them. He saw his son fighting Prince Vegeta, this as he transformed into a Great Ape. He also saw glimpses of what looked to be Kakarot fighting Raditz, who was now a grown man. His eldest definitely took after him in the face. He looked almost like him saved for the hair.

" _You are a disgrace to our mother and father!_ " Raditz shouted.

He saw Kakarot and that old man who found him staring at each other over the darkness of night. This time, he could see nothing but malice on Kakarot's face as the old man glared intensely at him. Although Kakarot's expression was par the course for a Saiyan, it looked wrong on his son, who almost always had a peaceful expression, except when he fought.

The scene changed and he saw a Great Ape standing over the old man, who was obviously hurt and unable to move.

" _Goku! It's me! Please stop this!_ " the old man pleaded.

Goku? What the hell was Goku? That wasn't a Saiyan name. Wasn't this Great Ape his son?

The Great Ape was unmoved by the old man's pleas and slowly lifted up one of its giant foot.

 _"Goku!_ "

The foot came down.

Bardock nearly fell onto the incubator as he attempted to catch his breath.

"Bardock!" Gine shouted as she caught her husband. "Bardock! What's wrong!? Answer me!"

Bardock couldn't speak as he attempted to sort out what he just saw.

He had never seen those images before. Somehow...what was happening to him was connected to his son. But how?

Gine gently brought Bardock into her arms. "You're not well... Come on. I will take you home to rest."

Bardock didn't argued as Gine took him away from the medical center.

Kakarot stirred in his incubator, as if aware of the visions his father had just seen.

* * *

Weeks past and he still wasn't better. The visions...the nightmares were becoming worse. Even when he was awake, he kept seeing Vegeta being destroyed.

The feeling of death and foreboding only increased as more Saiyans reported in, per Frieza's order. The city was now so crowded that there was a food shortage. It has been too long since the planet provided for so many people at once and the government couldn't keep up. Violence has also increased with Saiyans infighting again.

"Man, I hope Frieza gives us work soon. People are starting to go crazy down here," Shugesh complained as he guzzled down his drink.

"Can't argue with that," Fasha said. "If I get one more person hitting on me, I am putting a hole in their butts."

Bardock was barely paying attention to the conversation as he stared at his drank.

"Hey, Bardock, you there?" Tora asked. He was becoming more concern for his friend everyday.

"He's been like this since we've return," Borges stated.

Fasha frowned at her commander. "Bardock, if you're not well, no one is forcing you to be here. You should be home resting."

Bardock lifted his head, acknowledging them for the first time that day. "Have any of you been feeling something funny?"

Tora blinked. "Like what?"

"Like..." Bardock hesitated. "Like we're being mislead. That Frieza is calling us back for a sinister purpose."

There was a slight paused.

"It is highly unusual that Frieza called us back, but I wouldn't call it sinister," Shugesh spoke up. "I mean, why? We Saiyans have been nothing but loyal to him."

"I agree," Tora said. "Frieza has nothing to gain from harming us."

Although he spoke those words, Bardock could tell that his old friend didn't really believe his own words.

"I really think you need to see a doctor," Fasha said. "Ever since Kanassa you haven't been the same. Maybe they can finally find out what's wrong with you."

Bardock sneered. "Too many people are concern about my health. You're starting to sound like Gine."

"How is Gine?" Tora asked, changing the subject. "I've heard it's been hell at the meat factory since everyone is back."

He nodded his head. "Yeah. People keep trying to raid the place for food. It's pathetic. King Vegeta was even forced to place guards around there."

Shugesh snickered. "Nothing is more dangerous than a hungry Saiyan."

Bardock rubbed his head as he stood up. "I need to excuse myself." He walked off, going into the nearby hallway.

"Man, Bardock is really out of it," Shugesh said with concern. "I've never seen him so stress out."

Tora nodded before sighing. "I hate to say, but we can't tell him."

This got the team's attention.

"Bardock is the commander. We can't just leave him out of this," Fasha protested.

Tora shook his head. "We have no choice. You saw him. As it stands, he will only be a liability."

"I agree with Tora," Borges spoke. "Commander Bardock is in no condition to fight. For his sake and everyone else, we shouldn't tell him."

Fasha sighed in defeat. "I still disagree, but I won't say anything more."

"Then it's decided," Tora said as he looked down at his glass. "We will meet King Vegeta without Bardock."

Meanwhile, out in the hallway, Bardock stumbled as he attempted to keep his footing. His head pounded as his vision blurred. After taking several more painful steps, he collapsed. He didn't even remember hitting the floor.

" _My gift to you, Bardock. I have given you our gift. The gift to see into the future,_ " the voice of the Kanassan spoke. " _I can tell you that the future that lies before is a curse one. That the karma you Saiyans have built over your lifetime evil will finally come back to you. And you, Bardock, will be the first to see that future. You will see the horror of your end, just like we had to._ "

He saw Planet Vegeta exploding again.

" _On my, this is stupendous! What a great show! Unbelievable! Look at that!_ " a voice declared before going into a manic laugh.

For the first time, Bardock could see the source of the laugh that had been haunting his dreams. He could see Frieza floating from what appeared to be a hover chair over his ship. He was laughing in absolute delight as he watched Planet Vegeta disappear into space.

He gasped.

It was Frieza! He was going to destroy the planet! Then the reason why he summoned all of them back...

He gasped awake and found himself back in the empty hallway. He was shivering, but it wasn't because he was cold.

All this time...Frieza was planning to murder them. He called them all back so he could kill as many of them as possible. That was also why he grounded the infiltration babies. Once Frieza made his move, the Saiyan race would all be wiped out.

"Damn him..." he hissed under his breath.

Why? Why would Frieza kill them? Have they not served as his hands and feet all this time? Had they not taking every planet he asked of them and even helped the Frieza Force when they screwed up? Had they not fought with the Frieza Force against powerful enemies all to spread Frieza's empire?

After all they've done...why would he betray them!?

He growled as he stood up. It didn't matter. None of that mattered anymore.

That bastard betrayed them. Therefor, his life was forfeited. Frieza had another thing coming if he thought the Saiyans would meekly go into the night. He was about to learn first hand why they were called the beasts of death.

He ran out of the bar, ready to go to the palace to warn the king.

The moment he stepped outside, however, he paused. Something told him that he needed to do something else before confronting the king.

In his mind's eye, he briefly saw Kakarot. His son was due to finally leave the incubator. Gine was so excited that she's been talking his ear off about it for days. She even got his room set up at the house.

If the worst happened and he failed to stop Frieza, his son would die along with the planet.

He kept telling himself that he didn't care. His son was a weakling anyway and he doubted he would live to adulthood regardless if Frieza killed him. It was a miracle that he even survived the surgery and vaccination process.

But...the idea of just leaving his son to die made him feel ill.

He had no connection with the boy. He had only seen him twice in his life, and yet, he felt closed to his son thanks to his visions. He saw that his son survived and, dare he say, thrived, on that far off blue planet. And, somehow, he would become strong enough to someday stand up to the prince.

He wasn't sure if any of that was true. Perhaps it was all just trick, like his vision of Frieza destroyed the planet. But he couldn't ignore this. Even if he was wrong about Frieza, he wanted to at least assure that his son survived.

With his mind made up, he turned and all but ran to the meat factory.

The place was completely crowded with people shouted for food and pushing around the staff. He saw Gine near the back, sweating and looking more than annoyed as she listened to the constant demands of the customers.

"Gine!" he shouted.

"I said wait your..." she snapped before she realized who it was, "Bardock!? What are you doing here?"

"I want to go see Kakarot," Bardock stated bluntly.

Gine frowned, but she followed Bardock to the medical center. Kakarot was much like he was weeks ago. He seemed to be dreaming, given the way his body twitched.

"Why did you want to see Kakarot now?" Gine asked. "He will be coming home with us tomorrow. I've already made the arrangements with Planthorr."

Bardock stared at his son for several seconds, taking in by his innocent face. He narrowed his eyes as he made up his mind. "I'll go steal a space pod tonight. We're going to send him to a different planet."

"What!?" Gine exclaimed in shock.

"Keep it down," Bardock warned. He looked around the room to see if anyone heard them.

Gine wasn't having it. "Why do we have to do that now!? Being an infiltration baby is very dangerous!" She took several deep breaths as she attempted to calm down. "And we can't. No one is allowed to leave the planet, not even the babies."

"It's for Kakarot's safety," Bardock said as he turned back to stare at his son.

"What do you mean?" Gine demanded.

It was time he told her the truth. It was something he should have done years ago. "Do you remember that time I was hurt on Kanassa?"

Gine was taking by surprise by the question. "How can I forget? You've been sick ever since that day."

"I haven't been sick," he said as he lowered his eyes. "When I was struck by that Kanassan, he did something to me. At the time, I didn't believe him...but somehow, he gave me the power to see into the future."

Gine's eyes widened. "The future?"

"I know it sounds like nonsense. I wouldn't expect you to believe me." He laughed humorlessly. "I don't even believe it myself. But...since that day, I have been getting visions. They were unclear at first, but lately I can see things clearer. The reason why Frieza has summoned us back is to kill us."

Gine stepped back in shock. "What!?"

He closed his eyes. "I saw it in my vision. That bastard Frieza is going to blow up the whole planet." He sneered. "And he's going to laugh about it like it's some kind of fireworks show."

She shook her head. "But why? Why would he do such a thing? We Saiyans have done nothing to oppose him."

"I have no clue," Bardock sighed. He turned towards her. "You must think I'm crazy."

Gine recomposed herself. "Bardock...you're many things, but crazy isn't one of them. ...At least outside of battle," she joked before becoming serious again. "If you think these 'visions' are true, then I believe you." She then narrowed her eyes. " _Although_ , you should have told me this years ago."

Bardock smiled. "I knew there was a reason why I fell for you." He lowered his head. "And...I'm sorry for not trusting you enough to tell you sooner. I guess I was being pig-headed again."

"Yes you were." She playfully jabbed him in the ribs before turning towards her son. "So, where do we send him?"

"I don't care. It has to be somewhere far away from here. A place where Frieza won't think to look," Bardock answered.

She frowned in thought. "But Bardock, if what you are saying is true, why don't we try to escape together."

"Don't be silly. Frieza has this planet monitored, I'm sure. He wants to make sure as many of us as possible die," Bardock answered.

"Then won't they detect Kakarot?" Gine asked.

He shook his head. "No." He gave a humorless smile. "Believe it or not, he pathetic power level is his saving grace. It's so low that I doubt any scouter will detect him. We will also launch him from the far side of the planet so the Frieza Force won't see him."

Besides, he had no intention of running from this. Like hell was he going to run and let that bastard Frieza have his way. Even if he had to fight alone, he was going to stop him. His pride wouldn't have it any other way.

Although, he truly wished that he could send Gine away. Her power level was perhaps low enough to escape undetected. But they were already risking it just sending Kakarot.

"I know what you are thinking," Gine spoke, breaking him out of his thoughts. "I'm not leaving if you're not."

Bardock stared at her.

"I maybe a failed soldier and Saiyan, but I still have a sizable power level thanks to the years of being on your crew," Gine stated. "If they really are making sure no Saiyan leaves the planet, they will detect me."

She had a point. The average soldier in the Frieza Force had a power level between five-hundred and two-thousand. The last he checked, Gine was pushing at least nine-hundred. She was maybe even in the thousands since she would have gotten a bump from childbirth. She was more than powerful enough to set off any sensors they had.

"Then...we have to send Kakarot off by himself," Bardock said with finality. "I will steal the necessary attack ball. Since you know more about frontier planets than me, I'll let you chose the location and get Kakarot. We'll meet at the old Saiyan home."

Gine nodded in understanding as a though crossed her mind. "It's not like you to worried about your kid. Especially Kakarot."

"I must have gotten it from you because you're such a softy," he half mused.

He really had changed, he realized. Before he met Gine, he wouldn't have given a damn about Kakarot or any kid of his. Even with his visions, he would have felt nothing about the idea of his child getting killed. If they died, they were weak, so who cared.

Gradually, this woman has been softening his heart. He still wasn't fond of his children, but he did have some level of pity towards them when none existed before. Her softness really was an infection and he had long succumbed to it. But he stopped caring about that a long time ago.

"I need to go," Bardock said as he turned away. "We'll send off Kakarot at midnight."

He walked out of the room.

Once Kakarot was off world, he would tell King Vegeta everything. Hopefully, the king would believe him despite how utterly bizarre his visions were, and they could work together to put an end to Frieza and win back their freedom.

The future wasn't set in stone. They would survive this. They were Saiyans, after all. Unlike those weakling Kanassans, they could change their future.

* * *

 **It's quickly approaching, the end of Planet Vegeta. Hard to believe that we are finally at this point. Seems like yesterday when I posted the first chapter of this story.**

 **time patroller, thank you for your review. I have never played _Xenoverse_ , although I know about the story. Even in the case of the time patrollers, Gine's death is a part of history, and can't be change. The same with the rest of the Saiyans, who are really not much better than Frieza.**

 **My Guest reviewer, thank you for your feedback. Glad you like my takes of the events of the Bardock story. I do my best to mix the best parts of the tv special and _Minus_ , while putting my on take on things.**

 **Dark princess, thank you for your review. I will see about adding those visions. At the moment, seeing Goku's future family didn't really fit in the chapter. As for good high school stories to read, unfortunately I haven't read a _Dragon Ball_ high school story since 2008 so I can't make a recommendation.**

 **My** **Belated Guest reviewer, thank you for your review. I just manage to catch your review before posting this chapter. I think stated last chapter that the reason why Raditz is on Vegeta's team is because King Vegeta wanted Vegeta to gain experience leading _all_ Saiyans, not just Saiyan elites. This is decided by random, which is how Bardock and his crew worked with Vegeta at one point. And hanging around Vegeta wasn't good for Raditz's overall, powerwise or moral development. I don't think Bardock would have seen how Goku turned out since I am using the version of Hell that existed in _Resurrection 'F'_ and chances are Bardock would have been reborn before Goku fought Frieza.**

 **Well that done, until next chapter.**


	16. Reckoning

**Hello again. Sorry for taking last week off, but I wanted to make sure I was at my best when I edited this chapter, since this is the one many of you have been waiting for. As always, thank you for your reviews, favorites, and follows. Reading your feedback keeps me going and helps to make a better story.**

 **Now, onward to the chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 16: Reckoning**

* * *

It was late as Gine checked the database for a suitable planet to send Kakarot. There were literally thousands of frontier planets to choose from. There were hundreds in the peaceful Southern Quadrant alone. She considered sending Kakarot to one of the planets in that quadrant, but the Southern Quadrant was a bit _too_ peaceful even for her taste. She didn't want her child becoming a softy.

It had to be a planet not only far from Frieza's sight, but one that was utterly worthless to him so no one within the Frieza Force would be interested in it. It also needed a vast amount of food. Saiyans, especially growing Saiyan children, needed a _lot_ to eat. If Kakarot was going to be on a planet for a long period of time, he needed a place that could sustain him for years.

And...as much as she hated to admit it, the planet needed a lot people to keep her son entertained. If he were like any typical Saiyan, he would need something to curve his bloodthirst. Even without a kill order, Saiyan children would wipe a planet of all sentient life. They were programmed that way. If the people of the planet were lucky, Kakarot may keep them around as pets.

She shook her head as she continued the search.

She may not like it, but that was the hard truth of being a Saiyan. Even she was programmed to fight and kill. It was because of her trash genes that she never developed a desired or enjoyment from taking another's life.

After several more hours of searching, her eyes fall upon a particular planet. It was a little planet near the very edge of the Northern Quadrant, far away from Frieza's empire. It was very much the frontier since barely anything of that part of the galaxy was charted.

As she read the information, the world seemed perfect for Kakarot. The planet had weak gravity, mild and various environments, no material resource of any value, lots of vegetation, and the natives there were weak. According to the last power check done twenty or so years ago, the highest power level on record was only one-hundred and eight. It was laughable, even someone like Kakarot could easily conquer it. Hell, she could take it over single-handily without a full moon.

It seemed she found her planet.

She typed in some commands to find a suitable spot for Kakarot to land. Even with the weak inhabitants, she didn't want Kakarot interacting with them, at least not right away. The idea of her son going on a massacre in some populated area as soon as he made landfall didn't sit well with her.

No, she wanted a place that was isolated and Kakarot could be in peace until they came for him.

She brought up a map and carefully studied it. After over thirty minutes, she found a region that was in the mountains. There were no cities or known settlements near the area. It was all wilderness if the data was correct.

Perfect.

She copied the information onto a disc and pocketed it. The location was set. All that was left was to get Kakarot.

She carefully left the mainframe, making sure none of Frieza's men would see her. She didn't think a fellow Saiyan would rat her out, but one could never be too careful. She couldn't afford to be caught, not when Kakarot's life was on the line.

It took her almost twenty minutes to reach the medical center since she made sure to stay in the shadows. The place was, naturally, empty with only babies in their incubators peacefully sleeping.

She made a beeline for Kakarot. She pressed in the necessary codes to drain the liquid from the incubator. Kakarot shivered as the sudden cold hit him and the glass was lifted.

"Sheesh, don't cry," Gine whispered to her child as she gently picked him up. "It's going to be alright. Just don't cry, please."

Kakarot opened his eyes and stared at her with wonderment and confusion. It was odd to see such innocence in a child who had been subjective to nothing but horror for three years. He was nothing like Raditz who was obviously hardened and cold from his experience.

Gine quickly went to wipe her son with a thick towel before the cold got to him.

"Going somewhere, Gine?"

Gine nearly dropped Kakarot as she turned towards the voice. Standing by the door was Planthorr.

"Planthorr?" she whispered as she cradled her son. "I...I've decided to take Kakarot home early."

"Really?" Planthorr questioned as he walked towards her. "Gine, you have never been a good lair."

She bit her lips. "It's...its the truth."

Planthorr stopped walking and stared at her son. "You're sending him away, right? I saw Bardock sneaking off with an attack ball earlier."

She froze.

He knew... They've been caught. Her mind raced to figure out what to do or say. Did she have to kill him? She didn't want to. Planthorr have been nothing but good to them, but she couldn't afford to have him alert the Frieza Force.

Planthorr held up his hand. "I told no one. And I intend to tell no one."

This confused Gine.

"I don't know how you found out, but I am assuming you are sending Kakarot away because you learned that Lord Frieza will destroy the planet," Planthorr stated bluntly.

She inhaled sharply. ...Bardock was right. Frieza really intend to kill them. She held her child tightly, who remained strangely quiet. "How..."

"All those within Frieza's army have been ordered to evacuate the planet," Planthorr replied. "A planet is only evacuated when Frieza has no more used for it. And given that all the Saiyans have been ordered to return home and Frieza's ship has been orbit for almost a month...it was easy to put two and two together."

"If you know, why are you here?" Gine asked. "You need to leave or you'll die."

Planthorr shook his head. "I have no intentions of leaving."

Gine's eyes widen in horror. "You can't be serious."

Planthorr looked around the room. His face was forlorn, yet peaceful. "I have been attending to you Saiyans since I was drafted into Frieza's army. As I told you years ago, I have seen every child born on this planet since you were drafted into Lord Frieza's serves. It only seems right that I take care of these children during their final moments." He touched one of the nearby incubators that held a baby. It was unaware of its impending death and it looked to be only a month old. "Those children...will never get to grow up. Will never get to see the universe. Will never see what they are capable of. And more tragically...they will die here alone unloved by their parents and forgotten. ...I won't let them die alone. That is the least I can do for them."

Gine felt tears edge towards her eyes as she listened to Planthorr's words. "Planthorr...why do you work for Frieza?"

Planthorr turned towards her.

"You are a good, honorable man. You're nothing like us or the ones in the Frieza Force who are mass murderers. How could someone like you be drag into this hellhole?" she asked.

Planthorr sighed. "A long time ago, I used to be a good, honorable person. I lived on a planet far from here with my wife and child. It was a really peaceful world. There were no strong fighters among us." He closed his eyes. "We were easy pickings for Lord Frieza. He annexed my world with only a handful of men and forced anyone with any talent to work for him. To save my child and wife, I volunteered myself to Frieza's army as one of their doctors."

"But...if you have a family, you should return to them," Gine urged. "You have a home to return to. Don't let yourself die here for our sake."

Planthorr chuckled, although there was no humor behind it. "Oh Gine, you have such a kind, sweet heart. I'm happy that they weren't able crush it and you were able to have a happy ending." He gave a small, yet sad smile. "I am honored that you would think of my happiness. But Gine, I don't have a family anymore."

She sucked in her breath. "What?"

"My world was destroyed years ago," Planthorr stated. "After Lord Frieza got the talents that he wanted and drained the resources of my world, he destroyed the planet himself."

She shook her head in disbelief. "But...didn't you say you volunteered yourself to save your family."

"There...was one important lesson that I learned that day, Gine," Planthorr said, looking directly into her eyes. "You make a deal with the devil, and you will be burn. I sold out my planet to save my family, and I lost everything for it."

Gine felt hot tears run down her eyes. "I can't believe Frieza would do such a thing."

"Lord Frieza isn't like you or me, or any Saiyan on this planet. Saiyans maybe born ruthless with a strong need to fight, but no Saiyan is inherently evil," Planthorr said. "Lord Frieza is. His family and he are naturally heartless monsters. They live and thrive on causing as much pain and suffering as possible. They want to rule the universe because they can, and they have the power to do whatever they please. That is the _true_ nature of Lord Frieza. He is pure evil in a physical form."

Gine felt cold all over.

She didn't know this about Frieza and she wished she never knew. To her, Frieza was just some shadow entity she heard about, not a real person. To know that they have been working for pure evil this entire time made her physically sick. And that evil was now posed to destroy them.

She supposed this was karma finally catching up with them.

"You must take Kakarot out of here," Planthorr said, getting Gine's attention. "If there is even a remote chance of saving him, you must leave now. Although most of Frieza's men have left, there are still some on the planet."

She nodded and went into the changing area. She made sure that Kakarot had the best armor she could get her hands on.

Normally, this would be a prideful moment for a parent, seeing their child dressed in the armor of the Saiyans. This moment was anything but prideful or happy. She was closed to tears as she prepared her son for her journey.

Kakarot through the whole thing remained quiet, silently observing her. She wondered how much of what was happening that Kakarot understood. She knew all the information pumped into his head over the last three years made him aware of many things, but this was whole another level of something. Perhaps Kakarot thought he was just being sent out like any normal infiltration child. Or perhaps, this was simply too much information for him to take in, especially since he has just awakened.

"There, all done." Gine smiled as she finished dressing her son.

Kakarot looked at his armor with interest, wagging his tail to see how freely he could move it in the armor and checked his shoulder pads. He smiled, pleased with what he saw.

"He looks just like Bardock when he was a child," Planthorr noted with fondness. He smiled. "But he has your sweet face."

Gine chuckled. "Bardock would be mad if he heard that." She prepared to pick Kakarot up, which caused him to frown. It was obvious that he didn't want to be held. He was already showing a Saiyan's pride.

"Gine," Planthorr suddenly spoke up. "Before you go, there is something I want to tell you."

Gine stared at him in curiosity. "What is it?

There was a long paused. "...After today, it won't matter. But I wanted to tell someone this."

Now Gine was really curious.

"Have you ever heard that a reject has more battle potential than a normal Saiyan?" Planthorr asked.

She blinked several times, not expecting that question. "Yeah...I think I'd heard that once. But that's ridiculous. Nothing more than a wives' tale. We rejects are failed soldiers. We don't have it in us to fight."

Planthorr shook his head. "That is not true. I have measured the potential of every Saiyan born for a long time. Of all the rejects I have seen, all their battle potential _far_ outpaces any normal Saiyan...especially yours, Gine."

This took Gine off-guard. "What!?"

"You were born with an extremely high battle potential. The highest I have ever seen," Planthorr stated. "Not even the Saiyan prince can compare to you."

"But...but...I was born a lower class warrior," she protested. "If my potential was really that high, I would've been classified as medium class and taking in by an elite to be trained."

"Like Kakarot, you were born with an abysmally low power level. So low that you were written off almost immediately as a failure," Planthorr explained. "Even with your extremely high battle potential, you were considered a reject. Your gentle nature only confirmed it. To the Saiyans, it doesn't matter how powerful you can become if you don't have the Saiyan bloodlust, and the battle potential test of a reject is thrown out." He shook his head. "They never even gave you a chance before they wrote you off, just like so many others." He looked down at Kakarot, who stared back at him. He seemed curious, yet he didn't seem to understand what was being said. "Like Kakarot, I sensed something special within you, but no one listened, not even Malaka. If those who carried the blood of a reject were nurtured and cared for, instead of dismissed, mocked, and scorned, the Saiyans would have been a _much_ strongest race. Truly worthy of being called the greatest warriors in the universe." He paused. "I would even dare say that you would have surpassed Lord Frieza in his family."

Gine shook her head, not believing what she was hearing. "Even if what you say is true, it doesn't matter. Those like me hate fighting and those in power were right to dismiss us as worthless. The true warriors are Saiyans like Bardock who live for battle. Not soft-hearted fools like me."

Planthorr stared at the ceiling. "Maybe you're right. Those who are rejects are not suited for this type of life. The life of taking and destroying worlds." He closed his eyes. "But...that does _not_ mean they don't have a warrior's spirit. Perhaps if put into an environment where their gentle hearts can grow and become their strength, rather than their anchor, then...maybe...they may be allowed to become the exceptional fighters they were born to be."

"Sounds like a fairytale," Gine muttered.

"Perhaps we will never know," Planthorr said wistfully as he opened his eyes and stared at Kakarot again, who continued to stare at him. "But when I look at him, I feel like we may someday find that answer. That we will know that if a soft-hearted Saiyan can become a powerful warrior that surpasses the elites." He walked over towards Kakarot and placed at hand on his head, causing the boy to flinch. "I don't know where your path in life will take you, but never allow that light you hold within be taking. Find your own path to being a true Saiyan instead of listening to what has been planted into your head."

Kakarot just stared at him, obviously not sure how to react to the doctor's words or even if he knew what he was talking about.

Planthorr turned towards Gine. "Now leave this place. You've wasted enough time listening to the babbling of an old man."

Gine smiled. "Your talks will never come off as babbling to me, Planthorr." She hugged the old doctor, startling him. "Thank you, for everything."

Planthorr returned the hug. "Take care of yourself."

Once she pulled away, she picked up Kakarot, who gave a small cry of protest, and ran out of the nursery She was already late meeting Bardock.

Planthorr stared at the ceiling again for several minutes. He had a content smile on his face.

At the very least, the best of the Saiyans would survive and be free to choose their own path.

* * *

Gine ran through the empty streets. She wouldn't risk flying until she was out of the city's limits. Every now and then, she heard the boastful laughter of the town's drunks and the random fights that broke out.

None of them knew what was about to happen. That soon...their world was literally going to end.

She wanted to warn everyone. Maybe...just maybe, they could mount an offensive against Frieza. It was better to die fighting than to wait for their end like sheep.

She lowered her head in frustration.

Who the hell would believe her? They would only laugh in her face and she really couldn't blame them. Although no Saiyan was particularly fond of Frieza, no one would believe that he turned against them. Not after everything they did for him and being the strongest force in Frieza's entire army.

She looked down at her son, who stared at her with concern. "It's okay, Kakarot. Just remain calm just a little longer."

It took about an hour to finally leave the city and feel safe enough to fly. From there, it only took ten minutes to reach the meeting place.

This place was ancient. This was where the first Saiyan settlers lived when the Truffles were still around. No one came out here anymore given how hostile the environment was.

"Gine! Down here?" Bardock called. He was standing next to the space pod.

She quickly landed next to her husband.

"Where were you?" Bardock asked in concern.

"I'm sorry. I ran into Planthorr while I was getting Kakarot," she said before looking at her husband. "It's true, Bardock. Planthorr told me that Frieza really is planning to destroy the planet."

Bardock cussed under his breath. "So...my visions are true." He clenched his hands. "Damn him." He then looked towards his son. "We need to send Kakarot away from here. Did you find a suitable planet?"

She nodded as she handed Kakarot to Bardock. She went to set up the disc in the ship. With this information, the ship would automatically take Kakarot to the planet and then shut down so no one would be able to track his location.

Kakarot immediately became fussy in his father arms and began to cry.

Bardock tried vainly to quiet him. "Calm down, Kakarot."

The child didn't listened to him and continued to throw a fit.

"Sheesh, you're nothing like your brother," he grumbled as he rocked the boy. He had no clue how to handle a child. "You're too old to be acting like this."

"I've programmed the pod to head for a distance planet called Earth," Gine said as she finished the preparations. "The planet has plenty of food, but the humans and the natural resources there aren't worth anything. It's the perfect place for him."

Bardock stopped rocking Kakarot. "Earth? That planet...is it blue?"

Gine stared at her husband, completely baffled by the question. "From the pictures I've seen, yes. It is a blue planet. It's actually quite pretty."

Bardock looked at his son, who had finally stopped crying and stared at him. It would seem Kakarot really was fulfilling his destiny.

Gine gently took Kakarot from his father's arms and cuddled him. "Kakarot...if things somehow work out, we'll come and get you as soon as we can. I know it's hard, but...please try to be nice to the humans."

Kakarot returned his mother hug, much to her surprised. "Mom."

Gine looked at Kakarot and smiled. She had tears in her eyes. "You know who I am."

Kakarot touched her face. "Mom..." It looked like he wanted to say something else, but couldn't think of the right words.

Bardock went over to the mother and child. "Remember, you mustn't look at the full moon for long," he warned, remembering one of his visions of Kakarot.

Gine nodded. "I'll tell Raditz about this too. If the worst happens, he will come and get you." Her eyes filled with tears. "You two...may have only each other to depend on. So please, take care of one another. No fighting."

Kakarot stared at his mom for several seconds before nodding in understanding.

Gine brought Kakarot towards him and gently kissed his forehead. "Please take care, my little boy."

Before Kakarot could react, he was placed into the space pod and the door was closed on him. He was really upset now and pounded on the glass, trying to break it. But he couldn't dent the thing. The attack balls were made to withstand a lot of force.

Gine nearly broke down into tears seeing her son's scared expression. The full weight of what was happening hit. She knew….she knew that she would never see him again.

This wasn't fair. She didn't even get the chance to know him. She didn't get the chance to bring him home and show him the room she made for him. She didn't get the chance to be his mother.

Bardock embraced Gine trying to calm her down. He gave Kakarot weak smile as he stared at him. It was obviously the boy wasn't fond of him given his sour expression. He was definitely a momma's boy. "No matter what, you have to stay alive." He put his hand on the glass of the space pod. "Take care."

Kakarot pressed hard on the glass, looking more distress than ever.

A beeping sound was heard, telling the parents that the space pod was ready to take off. They moved back a little as the pod began to float.

"And watch out for the Galactic Patrol!" Bardock shouted.

Next to Frieza, that was the next biggest worry. The patrol had become more aggressive in recent years. They've been actually sending patrolmen to the planets of their infiltration babies. So, an attack pod with an infiltration baby was equipped with a stealth device to go under their radar.

This pod didn't have such a device. It was dangerous, but he had no choice. Either he risked the patrolmen killing Kakarot, or he let Frieza kill him along with everyone else. Neither choices were good, but he chose the Galactic Patrol over Frieza. At least Kakarot, as weak as he was, would have a remote chance against one of them.

The pod floated for several more seconds before rapidly taking off into space. Within only seconds, he was gone.

Gine all but collapsed into Bardock's arm. "Kakarot..."

"He'll be fine. He got your genes. He's a survivor," Bardock assured. Besides, if the rest of his vision were true, then Kakarot would not only live, but thrived.

Gine wiped her eyes. "What...what do we do now?"

Bardock gently wiped her tears with his thumb. "First, you need to get in contact with Raditz and tell him about Kakarot. Don't tell him everything. I don't want word spreading among the Frieza Force."

She nodded.

"While you do that, I will go and see the king," Bardock stated.

Gine frowned at this. "Will he believe you?"

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "But I have to try. No matter what, I _will_ change our future." His eyes narrowed. "The only one meeting death today will be Frieza."

Gine lowered her head. She really wanted to believe that, but it all felt so hopeless. "I'll get in contact with Raditz."

Bardock gently kissed her lips. "Gook luck."

She hugged him. "I should be saying that to you."

They then departed, both willing to do their part to avert destiny.

* * *

On Frieza's ship, one of the soldiers saw a blimp on the computer.

"Sir, we have detected something on the other side of the planet!" the soldier exclaimed.

The commander walked towards soldier. He was holding a cup of tea in his hands. "Is it a Saiyan trying to leave the planet?"

"Unknown sir," the soldier said as he scanned the readings. "If it is a Saiyan, it's extremely weak. I can barely pick anything up on the long range scouters."

The commander snorted. "Probably just a malfunction. That stupid thing has been picking up all manner of crap lately. Could be a baby space whale or something. Ignore it."

The soldier nodded. "Yes, sir."

The commander casually stirred his tea. Even if it was a Saiyan, if its battle power was so low that the scouters could barely detect it, it was of no concern. Just a piece of trash, hardly worth anyone's time. It would most likely die in space.

"Tell me when something important happens," he ordered as he left the control room.

* * *

Bardock flew back into the city at top speed, not caring who saw him. Time was of the essence and he felt Planet Vegeta's time grow short.

It didn't take him long to reach the palace.

"Hey there, stop!" one of the guards shouted.

Bardock paid no attention to them and decked one of them as he ran inside. Within seconds, he had a several guards chasing him, but he didn't stop. He needed to find King Vegeta no matter what.

By some divine luck, when he entered the throne room, King Vegeta was there, along with several other Saiyans.

"Bardock!?"

He looked up to see that his crew was among the people in the room.

King Vegeta looked at him. "Bardock? I was told that you couldn't come."

Bardock stared at the king. "What?"

The guards finally caught up with him. "Forgive us, your Majesty. We will take this troublemaker out of here."

King Vegeta raise up his hand. "It is alright. He is one of the people invited here."

"Invited?" Bardock repeated.

Tora walked over towards Bardock. "I'm sorry. It was my idea not to tell you. You've been so out of it lately that we thought it was best that you sit this one out."

Bardock looked around, utterly confused. "What's going on here?"

King Vegeta folded his arms. "We are going to attack Frieza."

Now Bardock was really surprised. "What?"

"This operation have been planned for a while," King Vegeta went on. "We had enough of Frieza and him looking down on us like we're his slaves. Now, he plans to take my son and turn him his puppet." He growled and his aura flared up, knocking over several nearby Saiyans. "I _will_ not allow it! The pride of the Saiyan race will never become his pet! Not as long as I draw breath!" He quickly calmed himself. "In this room is assembled the best Saiyans on the planet. Elites and lower class warriors who have proven themselves time and time again on the battlefield. Together, we are going to kill that bastard Frieza." He laughed. "Frieza will rue the day he brought so many powerful Saiyans together with his return order."

Shugesh smirked. "And once the deed is done, we will finally be promoted. Bardock, we're going to become elites!"

Bardock gasped.

It was everything he'd dreamed of. After years of blood, sweat, and bitterness, they were finally going to be recognized. Best yet, they were going to stop Frieza from destroying the planet without him coming off like some madman.

He sighed in relief. He felt a heavy weight lift from his shoulders.

It seemed that his visions were wrong after all. They were going to win this. They were going to build a new Saiyan empire. There was no way that Frieza could withstand the force of all the most powerful Saiyans in existence bearing their fangs at him.

"Bardock..." Tora started as he put his hand on Bardock's shoulder.

Bardock jolted as another vision came to him.

He was on what he assumed was Frieza's ship and scattered across the floor were the corpses of dozens of Saiyans. Among them laid his crew, broken and beating with blank expression in their eyes.

He gasped. What the hell happened!?

Shugesh... Borgos...Fasha... They were all dead!

" _Pathetic, and this is the best the Saiyans have to offer. I don't understand why Lord Frieza fear you monkeys._ "

He saw Dodoria holding Tora by his collar. Tora was bleeding badly and he could tell that both of his arms were broken. His old friend was breathing heavily as he stared at Dodoria.

" _You_..." Tora murmured.

" _What's wrong? Are you mad because you're weak_?" Dodoria mocked. " _This is the price one pays for thinking they're greater than what they are._ "

" _You...you haven't won..._ " Tora spoke, barely being able to catch his breath. " _King Vegeta...he will kill Frieza..._ "

Dodoria smirked. " _Is that so? You poor little fool, putting so much faith in your failure of a king. You and your kind deserve extinction._ "

With that, he viciously uppercut Tora so hard that Bardock heard Tora's neck break.

" _Tora_!" Bardock screamed.

His old friend landed flat on his back. He could see the color rapidly drain out of his face. " _Bardock...was right... How foolish that...we went and...charged right...into our deaths,_ " he wheezed. " _I'm sorry...old friend..._ " His eyes went blank at that very moment.

Bardock felt himself shake in rage as he watched. " _No! Tora!_ "

The scene changed and this time he saw King Vegeta confronting Frieza.

" _It's over Frieza!_ " Vegeta declared. " _Once I kill you, I will take your place in ruling the universe! You won't boss around the Saiyans ever again!_ "

Frieza chuckled. " _You always had such a sense of humor, Vegeta. If you Saiyans weren't so stubbornly stupid, you would have lived so much longer. Hopefully, your dear son won't inherit your stupidity._ "

Vegeta growled. " _You have dishonor me for the last time!_ "

He flew towards the tyrant as he charged energy into his fist. Frieza easily dodged the blow and Vegeta followed the attack with another punch, which Frieza also effortlessly evaded. Frieza then countered by punching Vegeta in the face and followed it with an uppercut.

Just like that, the fight was over. King Vegeta fell onto the floor with a dull thug.

There, he remained. His eyes were white and wasn't breathing. The medallion he always wore fell and rolled next to Frieza's feet.

" _Long live the king,_ " Frieza mocked before stomping on the medallion, shattering it.

Bardock gasped as he brought back to the present.

"Hey, Bardock!" Tora exclaimed as he shook his friend's shoulder.

Bardock quickly snapped out of his trance. "You can't lead this attack!"

This got everyone in the room attention.

"Bardock, what's gotten into you?" Fasha asked in deep worry.

Bardock ignored his teammate. "You can't go! If you go on Frieza's ship, you'll all be killed!"

Everyone was silent.

"Frieza...he's more powerful than we've imagined," Bardock said he clenched his fists. "He will kill King Vegeta with only two blows. ...And the rest of you will be killed by that pink bastard Dodoria." He tried to recollect his thoughts. "This raid is doomed to failure. We need another plan."

The silence continued, until everyone in the room burst into laugher, saved for Vegeta and his crew.

"Look, Bardock is scared!" someone mocked.

"So much for the mighty Bardock!" another Saiyan teased.

"Why don't you go home to your mother, you low class!" someone yelled over the laughter.

Bardock looked at them in shocked.

His crew looked embarrassed for him, and none of them spoke out for him.

"Why...why are you all laughing? IT'S THE TRUTH!" Bardock screamed. "If you do this, everyone is going to die!"

"That is enough, Bardock," King Vegeta spoke firmly. "I don't know what has gotten into you, but this isn't the same person I saw charge into battle six years ago. What has happen to you?"

"He lost his balls, that's what happened," a Saiyan mocked.

"Don't talk about the commander that way!" Fasha shouted over the roar of laughter.

"Yeah, Bardock is just strung up, that's all," Shugesh defended.

Tora grabbed Bardock by the shoulder and tried to pull him away from the crowd, but Bardock wasn't having it.

"You damn fools! Do you want to die that badly!?" Bardock continued to shout. "Listen to me! This isn't going to work! We can't beat Frieza head on like this! We need to rally everyone on the planet together to fight, no matter if they're low or dirt class! We..."

Before he could say anything more, Vegeta suddenly rushed him and slammed his fist into his stomach. Because he wasn't expecting the blow, he was caught completely off guard. He felt his vision fade.

"That is enough out of you," Vegeta said in a cold voice. "We have no need for cowards like you. We will handle Frieza ourselves."

Bardock tried to speak, but before he could utter word, Vegeta chopped him in the neck. Then, there was only darkness.

He wasn't sure how long he was there, but it was anything but peaceful.

He saw images again. Of Kakarot...

He was a young boy, older than the child he just sent off. He was now wearing a strange blue outfit and was eyeing a young woman with aqua-green hair and a shirt with 'Bulma' written on it. He held a red stick in his hands as he slowly looked over her.

" _My gift to you, Bardock. I have given you our gift. The gift to see into the future. You will see the horror of your end, just like we had to!_ " the voice of the Kanassan declared.

He now saw his son riding some type of motorbike with the young girl. He looked like he was having the time of his life.

" _Where am I_?" he asked.

" _This is the future, Bardock. This is what you killed my people for, isn't it?_ " the Kanassan mocked.

He now saw his son go into battle, fighting against Earthlings who appeared fairly strong and that Namekian who wore the word 'demon' on his chest.

" _My son?_ " he questioned, wanting to finally know why he kept seeing Kakarot in his visions.

" _Yes, your son,_ " the Kanassan replied in an oddly fond voice. " _He's growing up to be a powerful warrior just like his father was._ "

" _Was?_ " he repeated.

" _By this time you are long since dead. You blow up with you planet, along with your wife,_ " the Kanassan informed coldly.

He mentally growled hearing this. " _No! Dammit Frieza!_ "

He now saw Kakarot fighting that other Namekian at what appeared to be a tournament. He was now a man and not the boy he's been seeing.

" _Take heart, Bardock, a savior has been born,_ " the Kanassan said. " _One who has the power to save the innocent from people like Frieza...and you._ "

This made Bardock paused. " _Savior?_ "

The vision changed to Kakarot playing with a young child in what appeared to be a forest. The child had monkey tail like the Saiyans. It had to be Kakarot's son. His face…it was filled with innocence and kindness. It was just like Gine's, and yet….it lacked the pain that was almost always etched onto her face.

Kakarot also seemed to be at peace and happy. It was hard to believed that this was the same person who fearlessly and ruthless when fought against two Namekians and later the Saiyan prince. When his son was in battle, he fought like a Saiyan, but here, he was playing with his own son like he had no care in the world.

How could a Saiyan be like that? So warm and gentle, yet have the lust for battle.

" _A child who is born with two hearts. A warrior's heart given to him by his murderous father, but also the warm heart of his gentle and kind mother, who embodies the true spirit of the Saiyans,_ " the Kanassan stated. " _A heart that won't be corrupted by the taint of your bloodthirsty race!_ "

The vision suddenly flashed gold.

Bardock jolted awake and looked around in shock. He was lying on the floor of the throne room. His neck and stomach hurt, and he felt dizzy.

What happened?

He gasped when he suddenly remember that King Vegeta had knocked him out. He was ignored despite his frantic warnings.

"No..." he mourned.

He knew... Rather it was the curse from that Kanassan or his battle instincts...he knew…

They were dead.

Shugesh, Borgos, Fasha, Tora, King Vegeta...they were all gone.

He slammed his fist into the floor and cursed. "DAMMIT ALL! WHY DIDN'T YOU BASTARDS LISTEN TO ME!? WHY!? NOW YOU'RE ALL GONE! YOU DIED IN VAIN"

"Bardock!"

He looked up to see Gine running towards him. "Gine? How did you get here?"

"The palace is completely empty," Gine replied. "When you didn't return and I've heard nothing from you, I feared the worse." She looked around. "Where're King Vegeta and the others?"

"They're dead," he informed her in an emotionless voice.

Gine stepped back in shock. "What?"

"They're dead," he repeated coldly. "Those morons went and tried to fight Frieza head on. I saw in a vision everyone getting killed...including the crew..."

Gine felt her knees go weak. "Then... Tora, Fasha, Shugesh, Borgos...they're all really dead..."

Bardock nodded. "I can feel it. I can feel that they're dead. That they died for nothing!" He wanted to cry, but his pride refused to allow him to shred tears. At the very least, they went down like warriors. It was the best he could ask for.

Gine had no such problem. She collapsed and began to sob. "No...no this can't be true... They can't be dead! HOW CAN THEY BE DEAD!?"

Bardock slowly stood up. "He's coming. Frieza is about to make his move."

She stared at the ground. "Then..."

"I won't allow it!" Bardock shouted as he clenched his fists. "I won't allow him to have his way! I...I WILL CHANGE THE FUTURE!"

He ran out of the throne room.

"Bardock!" Gine screamed as she chased after him. He was so much faster than her. When she got outside, she saw Bardock staring at the sky. It was now daybreak.

"He's there," Bardock told his wife. "He's right in the stratosphere."

Gine looked up. She assumed that small black dot next to one of the suns was Frieza's ship.

"I'm going to face him," Bardock stated coldly.

Gine looked at him in horror. "You can't! You'll die!" She shook her head. "You're strong Bardock! The strongest man I've ever known! But you can't win this! Frieza killed King Vegeta, all the elites, and...the others..." She lowered her head. "What can you do?"

"I have to do something," he sneered. "I just can't sit here and do nothing. I'll kill Frieza. Even if I have to do it with my bare hands."

"Bardock..." Gine started. She was cut off when he suddenly kissed her.

It was a deep and very passionate kiss. It was very much like the one he gave her under those broken moons. That moment felt like a lifetime ago.

All too soon, he pulled away. He ran his thumb across her soft face. "If this is to be our final moment, I want this to be your final memory of me."

"Bardock..." she whispered.

He hugged her and his tail wrapped around her waist. "I saw our son's future. He's going to be alright, Gine. He's going to grow up to be strong...like you."

She pulled away. "Bardock, I'm anything but strong. I am a reject, a cast out from society. You're the strong one. You always have been. Even now...against all the odds...you're going up there to fight Frieza."

He shook his head. "No...you are very strong, just in a different way. Despite society trying to change you, to crush that soft heart of yours, you've endured. You even put up with me dismissing you as a weakling." He lowered his eyes. "I finally I see that now."

"What brought this change?" Gine asked, not believing what she was hearing.

He was silence for several seconds. "I guess...it was seeing our son. He grows up to be a warrior...but he's different from us. He had your gentleness and kindness, yet he fights like a demon in battle. I didn't think such a thing was possible, to be both hard and soft. I always believed that softness was nothing but a weakness. An infection that needed to be stomped out." He looked at Gine. "Then I met you and you began to changed me. Now, I understand this softness isn't a weakness. It can actually be a source of great strength. I only wished I understood this sooner."

Gine grabbed her husband's hand. "Kakarot... Just hearing that he will grow up is enough to make me happy. I don't even care what kind of man he becomes."

Bardock gave a smile as he saw his son fighting Prince Vegeta. "He will become...a _great_ man."

Gine cried in happiness as she embraced her husband.

He returned the hug and they remained that way for several minutes. For just a moment, they forgot about their current troubles.

"I have to go," Bardock whispered, not wanting to let go.

"I know," she answered as tears ran down her eyes.

Despite not having visions like Bardock, she knew...that she would never hold him again. She wished he would stay by her side until the very end. But...that wasn't Bardock. As much as he loved her, if he was going to die, it had to be in battle. Not in her arms.

He pulled away and held her at arms' length. "I'll be back. I'll be back as soon as I kill Frieza."

She nodded. "Then please, hurry back to me."

He turned away from his wife and walked towards the long staircase. He glared upwards. "This is the end, Frieza. Today, everything changes!"

He shot off into the sky and charged right for Frieza's ship.

Gine put her hands to her heart and cried. "Goodbye, Bardock."

* * *

Frieza smiled as he watched over the planet. He felt extremely happy to finally be rid of that troublemaker King Vegeta. That arrogant, stupid monkey got what was coming to him. The fact that he got to kill the good king personally was an added bonus.

King Vegeta's failed coup also gave him a handy excuse as to why he executed the Saiyans. Those bunched of monkeys ganged up on him and had proven their disloyalty. So, he decided to torch the rest before anymore rebelling broke out. It had _nothing_ to do with the Super Saiyan.

"This will be the last time we lay eyes on this planet," he mused to Zarbon who stood next to him.

"Yes, sire," Zarbon answered.

The door to his chambers suddenly opened and one of his minions came rushing in.

"Lord Frieza!" the soldier exclaimed. "We got someone flying towards us at remarkable speed!"

"Oh?" he questioned. He looked out the window and saw the object in question heading right for the ship. His eyes narrowed. "A Saiyan."

"It must be a left over from King Vegeta's crew," Zarbon speculated. "I will deal with him."

"No need," Frieza said. "Send the lower class grunts out there to deal with him. It is just a single Saiyan, after all."

Zarbon nodded. "At you command, sire." He went to give the order.

* * *

Bardock kept flying as Frieza's ship finally came into sight. It was good that the ship was no longer technically in space. As great as the Saiyans were, they still needed to breath. It was right on the outer edge, but there was just enough air for him to get the job done.

That bastard Frieza maybe strong, but even he would die if his ship were destroyed.

From the ship, he saw hundreds from the Frieza Force fly out. Looked like Frieza rolled out the welcome mat for him. Far be it for him to decline the invitation.

He charged forward at his maximum speed and met the Frieza Force head on. He demolished them.

He dodged energy blasts and punches, and ruthlessly took down anyone in his way. They got some good hits in, but he always managed to blow them off. Through his fight, he impaled people with his hand, snapped necks, and shot energy blasts at vital spots.

These bastards were learning the hard way why the Saiyans were the beasts of deaths, the most feared and powerful race in the universe. Through years of training, education he underwent even as a newborn, and fighting on the front lines, he was the perfect killing machine. One Saiyan was worth more than a thousand men from the Frieza Force.

And he was worth more than two thousand!

"THIS IS FOR MY CREW!" he shouted as he send a powerful energy wave that vaporized a large portion of the soldiers in his way.

* * *

From the ship, Frieza watched the fight with interest. Zarbon had rejoined him and Dodoria was also with them.

"What's up with that Saiyan?" Dodoria asked after several seconds. "He's more like a wild beast than a warrior."

"That man is Bardock, I believed," Zarbon stated. "I guess he found out about his crew meeting an unfortunate end, although I am not sure how, or why he was not with his crew during the coup."

Dodoria chuckled.

Frieza said nothing as he scowled.

To think, a single monkey was tearing through his forces like this. This was an embarrassment to the Frieza Force. If one low class ape could do this much damage, then the rest might have similar powers, despite Zarbon's assurance that Bardock and others like him were merely outliners.

Even without the Super Saiyan, he wouldn't let a single one of them live. He wouldn't let them rebuild and grow stronger.

"Zarbon. Open the hatch," he ordered.

Zarbon and Dodoria gasped when they heard the command. They knew what that meant.

"But sire, our men are still out there," Zarbon protested. "Please, at least let me give the retreat order."

Frieza unfolded his arms and slowly lowered them. "Are you questioning me?"

Zarbon stepped back, knowing he went over the line. "I will open the hatch at once!" He all but ran from the room.

Frieza glared as he continued to watch to battle. It was time to end this.

* * *

Bardock kept fighting despite rapidly getting exhausted.

Even if he was stronger than all the Frieza Force put together, he was still one against hundreds. And he was having trouble breathing properly with so little air. But he kept pushing forward. He wouldn't stop until Frieza was dead.

More of the Frieza Force tackled him, but he blew them off.

"FRIEZA!" he shouted at the top of his lungs and he rammed his fist through another soldier.

A laser grazed his shoulder, but he returned fire and blow off his attacker's head.

"FRIEZA! COME OUT AND FACE ME YOU COWARD!" he continued to scream. He was getting closer to the ship.

Suddenly, everything stopped.

The hatched to the ship opened and slowly, Frieza emerged. He was sitting in a hover chair like some kind of king.

Everyone in the Frieza Force ceased attacking him. They were frozen in fear as they stare at their boss.

"It's him!" someone shouted in terror.

"Lord Frieza..." one of them stuttered.

There were several muttering from the Frieza Force.

He paid no attention to any of this. At long last, he was face to face with his crew's murderer. With the monster who thought he could single-handily wipe out the Saiyan race.

He couldn't help but grin. He felt his heart race and his mouth dry. He had never been this excited. This was to be...his greatest battle.

"We salute you, sire!" one of the soldiers shouted, obviously trying to please his lord.

"Yeah! Long live Lord Frieza!" several more soldiers shouted and cheered.

Most of the Frieza Force was paralyzed in terror. They knew what was coming and could do nothing to save themselves.

Bardock sneered at their words. "No way! You've lived long enough! Actually, it's been too long for my taste!"

Frieza said nothing as he stared at Bardock. His expression was utterly blank. It was a little unnerving, but Bardock refused to show this monster any fear. If anyone should be terrified, it should be Frieza.

"Frieza, listen up!" he shouted. "We quit! _All_ of us! We don't work for you anymore! We're free! You can find someone else to be your dogs, you traitorous bastard!"

The members of the Frieza Force stared at him like he was insane. They had never heard such blasphemous words spoken about their lord, not even by their enemies.

Frieza continue to say nothing as he slowly lifted up his right hand. On the finger tip of his index finger was a small energy sphere. It was so small that Bardock didn't notice it.

Bardock began to shake in rage as the vision of his crew being murdered played in the back of his head. He charged all his remaining energy into his right hand. The blue energy swirled around him, causing some on the Frieza Force to shout in alarm.

"Now...everything changes. My fate. Planet Vegeta's fate. Gine's fate. Raditz's fate. Kakarot's fate." He thought of his young son being sent to Earth. He thought of his dear wife waiting for him back on the planet. And he thought of his oldest boy on some far away planet with Prince Vegeta. He gritted his teeth as the blue ball of energy grew. "Here...have it! The rage of all the Saiyans!"

He threw the ball of energy. It was easily half the size of Frieza's ship. Not even he could deflect it. It would hit him and destroy him along with his ship, and that would be the end of it.

Suddenly, Frieza's stoic face broke into a huge grin and he began to laugh.

The energy sphere on his finger rapidly grew until it was the size of a meteor. It looked like a small sun was on his finger. When his energy blast hit it, it dissipated like it was a common laser shot.

Bardock's eyes widen in shock in disbelief. "What!? No way!"

How could he destroy his blast so effortlessly!? He put everything he had into it! That wasn't possible! No one was that strong! What the hell was he!?

A cold feeling shoot through his body. Was Frieza really a god?

Frieza kept laughing as the energy on his finger kept growing.

Bardock realized that the blast was too big for just him. No...he was going to used it to destroyed the planet! He really did have the power to destroy a planet with just his finger!

Frieza's men reached the same conclusion.

"Lord Frieza! Please don't!" one of the soldiers pleaded for their life.

There were several more shouts for mercy from the Frieza Force.

Frieza was unmoved and kept laughing as he bent his index finger. That small sun was now heading right for them.

Bardock could only scream in horror as he saw his death approaching.

He never imagined that a force like Frieza could exists. That he was truly the monster that all the stories and legends made him out to be. They had no clue of the true nature of the demon they sold themselves to...and that was why they died.

The strong lived, while the weak perish. And...they…. They were among the weak...

He almost wanted to cry in both frustration and despair.

It was all for nothing... All his training and struggling to become the best in the universe...all for nothing... Despite seeing the future...he could do nothing to stop it. Just like the Kanassans, he couldn't prevent his own end.

" _Now you know how we felt,_ " the voice of the Kanassan mocked pitilessly as he was hit head on by the energy blast.

He instinctually tried to catch it, but it was all in vain. The energy ball burn right through him, tearing apart his armor until he was literally as naked as the day he was born.

So...this was the end... This was how he was destined to die... How the Saiyan race was destined to disappear... Done in by their own benefactor... How cruelly ironic...

As his sight faded, he saw...one last vision.

He was on a planet that was green. The land, the water, even the sky was green. There was nothing but plains as far as the eye could see, but he could tell that this planet held deep wounds. Craters and holes filled the landscape, showing that an epic battle had taking place.

He saw Frieza, but he looked different. Instead of being small with pink skin and horns, he was a little taller, lankier, and his skin was nearly completely white with some purple highlights.

He was also hurt. He was bleeding from several places and seemed tired. What stood out the most to him was Frieza's face. He was scared...no _terrified_ of something.

In front of Frieza stood Kakarot, all grown up. He too was injured, covered in scraps and blood, yet he actually looked better than Frieza.

But what stood out were Kakarot's hair and eyes. His hair was now gold and his eyes a greenish blue. Within those eyes laid not only anger, but also hatred. The aura that surrounded his son's body was literally hatred in its purest form.

What the hell happened to him?

" _What wrong?_ " his son mocked in a deep voice that was filled with contempt. " _Surely, one man can't be harder to destroy than a planet._ "

Frieza shivered, not believing what was happening. " _What...what are you?_ "

" _I thought you figured it out by now,_ " his son answered as he narrowed his eyes. " _I'm the Saiyan who came all the way from Earth for the sole purpose of beating you. I am the warrior you've heard of in legends, pure of heart, and awakened by fury. That's what I am._ " Something erupted behind his son and black smoke filled the air. At that moment, he raised his aura, covering the entire scene in gold. " _I AM THE LEGENDARY SUPER SAIYAN, SON GOKU!_ "

Bardock felt himself jolt.

Super Saiyan? The legendary Super Saiyan? The warrior only spoken of in children stories. The thing Frieza's men were asking about as he recalled the Saiyans? It actually existed... It exists and his son would become one...

His son was the Legendary Super Saiyan...!

"Yes...I see now..." he whispered as he was brought back to his physical body that was still burning within Frieza's energy. "It's you, my son... You are the one who will defeat Frieza!"

He smiled.

It wasn't in vain. The last decent thing he'd done in his entire life would one day pay off. The Saiyans would be avenged. Frieza would be made to pay for all this... Gine...they _would_ be avenged...

"Kakarot!" he screamed as he fell into the energy ball and disappeared into nothingness.

The ball kept going unheeded as it killed the surviving members of the Frieza Force, who screamed in terror and pain as they were consumed.

* * *

From the ground, Gine saw the energy ball approaching.

A tear ran down her eyes. She knew...Bardock was dead. She felt him die, fighting until the bitter end against their murderer. And soon...she would join him...

More tears ran down her eyes as she waited for the end. "Raditz, Kakarot...I'm sorry. Please take care of each other. Please...don't become like us..."

She sobbed to herself.

Perhaps...this was their punishment for all the things they've done. The comeuppance that was long past due. After causing the genocide of countless races and destroying countless planets, it seemed fitting that they would meet their end this way. That they would be destroyed by a force that they couldn't stop despite all their power. A force that they willingly worked and killed for.

She wondered where she would go in the afterlife. She didn't really care. If she was damned, so be it. She made her life choice a long time ago. But...as long as she saw Bardock on the other side, she could lived with Hell.

* * *

From the medical center, Planthorr felt the floor rumble and knew the end had finally come. He looked at the babies in their incubator who thankfully remained asleep, unaware of their own deaths.

At least he got to die with the babies he helped bring into the world, even if their time was short.

He had no regrets. Soon, he would see his family again.

* * *

The Saiyans looked up to see the giant ball heading right for them. It looked like the sun was literally falling on them.

They screamed in panic as they tried to escape the ball of death, but it was all pointless. There was nowhere to run.

* * *

As Frieza sat in his hover chair, he smiled in delight as he watched the surface of the planet crack and light up. The ball had made landfall and it would only take a few seconds to reached the core.

Literally seconds later, the planet cracked and ruptured. With one last rumble, the Planet Vegeta exploded. Debris flew everywhere as space itself lit up.

Frieza laughed in absolute delight. He never tired of seeing a planet explode, no matter how many times he saw it. There was nothing like it in the universe. "On my, this is stupendous! Wow, what a great show! Unbelievable! Look at that!" he shouted before he broke into more laughter that echoed over the explosion.

Within minutes, the planet that was once known as Vegeta was no more. The final death toll, a little over half a million. Most were Saiyans, but many hundreds were Frieza's own men who were unfortunately caught in the cross fire in both space and on the surface.

Despite the enormous lost of life, the destruction of the Saiyans' home world was viewed as a good thing across the universe and elicited much celebration in the neighboring galaxies. Beasts who had caused the genocide of countless invoked no sympathy and were grieved by no one. To many, the meteor that was said to have destroyed the Saiyans' planet was karma from the gods.

The beasts of death had a met an end fitting to their bloody history.

* * *

Kakarot shot awake.

Something had happened. Something really bad. Like...apart of him had been suddenly and cruelly ripped away.

All was peaceful in the space pod. Only the hummed of the computers could be heard as he traveled to his destination. As far as he could tell, nothing had changed.

Yet...everything was different.

Without knowing why, he felt tears run down his eyes.

Tears? He was crying... Why was he crying? He was a Saiyan. He wasn't supposed to cry. Yet, this was the second time today he'd shred tears. What was wrong with him?

No matter how hard he tried, he could stop crying. He sobbed openly as he cradled himself.

"Mom..." he whispered as he remembered the face of the woman who held him and talked to him while he was in the incubator.

Somehow, he knew that he would never see her again. Never feel her warmth. Hear her kind voice. Feel her kissed him again.

He touched his forehead as he began to cry louder. He kept crying until he worn himself out and fell back into a restless slumber.

Even then, the tears kept falling.

* * *

In a dungeon far away, on the home planet of the Cold Empire, stood a lone Kanassan, shackled up to the wall. Although he no longer had eyes, he could sense what had happened.

It was finished.

He smiled. Now, it was all in the hands of fate.

"What will you chose to be, boy?" he whispered to himself as he watched a vision of Kakarot in his mind's eye. "Will you become our savior? Or, will you become a great and powerful monster?"

* * *

 **That ends Bardock and Gine's story. At least them physically. This was hard to write, not so much Bardock's death, but more Gine's. Her heartbreak in that she never got to raise Goku was the hardest part for me to write, and she and Planthorr came off as the most sympathetic characters in the story. But this is the history that happened.**

 **Dark princess, thank you for your review. It always seem fast when a story is about to end. I still remember when I first writing this story last year. It just shows how fast time flies. Frieza is the jerk we love to hate. He may get away with it in this story, but we know that he will get his comeuppance too. In the world of _Dragon Ball_ , karma does eventually catch up with you.**

 **Anyway the final chapter should be uploaded next week, so look for to it.**


	17. Aftermath

**Here it is, the final chapter to this story. Hard to believe that I have been posted this since April. Time really does fly. Thank you all for supporting story with your reviews, favorites, and follows. I am truly grateful for all the support and feedback you have given me and I hope the conclusion is everything you wanted.**

 **Now, to the finale.**

* * *

 **Chapter 17: Aftermath**

* * *

Vegeta sat around a circle of corpse of his falling enemies, eating his rations.

Another easy planet. Then again, they were going off the rails since Frieza hadn't given them any official orders in over a month. Well, except for that one about returning to Planet Vegeta, but he chose to ignore that. Whatever Frieza wanted, he wasn't interested.

Although, he was surprised that Frieza or one of his underlines weren't more forceful about him returning. In fact, they hadn't contacted him since that return order. It almost seemed that he was forgotten about. He guessed it was just his good luck, but it was still highly unusual.

A beep was heard on his scouter. Someone was trying to contact him. Speak of the devil. Looked like he jinxed himself.

He sighed as he pressed his scouter. Might as well see what they want. Most likely, it was someone calling him about why he wasn't on Vegeta.

"Prince Vegeta! Do you copy, sir!" the person on the other side exclaimed, causing his ears to hurt.

"I'm here," he answered, trying to hide his annoyance.

"Sir, unfortunate news from Lord Frieza. Planet Vegeta was just struck by a large asteroid and was destroyed," the transmission informed.

There was a long silence as Vegeta took in the news. He honestly wasn't sure how he should feel. This was just so...unexpected.

"And, you're sure?" he asked.

"Affirmative, sir. Lord Frieza sends his sympathies and regrets," the voice stated.

Vegeta almost scoffed at that and rolled his eyes. Since when has Frieza knew anything of sympathy or regrets. The man was even more coldhearted than them.

"As of now, you and the others on your crew are the only known survivors," the voice informed gravely. Whoever was on the other side was actually sad for him.

"Oh, really?" he asked. He still couldn't find it in himself to feel anything.

"Would you like to send a reply, sir?" the transmission asked.

Vegeta was quiet for several seconds. "No, no reply."

"Very well, sir. Over and out," the transmission cut off.

Vegeta stared into nothingness as he took in the news.

Planet Vegeta destroyed? And he and his worthless comrades were the only known survivors? The very idea that the mighty Saiyan race had been reduced to just him and _them_ sickened him.

He narrowed his eyes.

Something was very foul about this. An asteroid big enough to destroyed Planet Vegeta happened to come along undetected and destroy the planet when almost all the Saiyans happened to be called back by Frieza. Either this was all one hell of a coincidence or Frieza had an active hand in this.

He didn't believed in coincidences.

But why would Frieza suddenly destroy Planet Vegeta? It just seemed so random. Could it be that was afraid of them so he decided to eliminate them?

He smiled at the thought.

They were becoming more powerful and, of course, he existed, the greatest of all Saiyans. Then again, his old man could have done something stupid to provoke Frieza. It would be like him.

Whatever. That hardly changed the situation. Planet Vegeta was gone; along with the kingdom he was meant the rule. And it kinda pissed him off. Even if they were weak for getting themselves killed….they were still his army.

"Hey, we're back!" Nappa called as he and Raditz walked towards him. They had a load of meat in their hands. "And we brought real food."

"And thank god," Raditz said with a huge smile. "I was getting sick of eating those rations. You would think Frieza would flip the bill for some decent grub."

Nappa laughed. "Seriously."

Raditz stopped smiling when he saw Vegeta's face. He looked more sour than usual. "What happened?"

"I got a transmission," Vegeta answered in a cold voice.

"Was it the Frieza Force demanding us to go back to Planet Vegeta?" Nappa asked as he put down his stack of meat.

Vegeta closed his eyes for several seconds before slowly reopening them. "Planet Vegeta was destroyed today."

Both Nappa and Raditz stared at him. It took several seconds for them to process what he just told them.

"Planet Vegeta destroyed?" Raditz repeated numbly. He felt his arms go limp, dropping his sacks of meat.

Nappa shook his head. "Sto...stop joking Vegeta. Planet Vegeta destroyed? Nonsense!"

"It was hit by an asteroid," Vegeta went on, telling them the 'official' story. There was no reason for them to know about his suspicions.

"An asteroid!?" Raditz exclaimed. "No way! That's impossible! An asteroid big enough to destroy Planet Vegeta would have been detected days...no, weeks ago! Something like that doesn't just appear out of nowhere!"

"That's what happened," Vegeta said forcibly, glaring at Raditz. "Whether you believe it or not, Planet Vegeta is gone. It's nothing but piles of space dust now."

Raditz stepped back, not believing how cold Vegeta was being.

Nappa lowed his head as the full impact of Vegeta's words hit him. "How many?" He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. "I mean, we have outposts all over the universe. Not to mention those infiltration babies. Surely, a couple hundred of us survived."

Vegeta folded his arms. "Did you forget that _all_ the Saiyans were called back by Frieza? Even those worthless infiltration babies weren't allowed to leave the planet."

Raditz paled. "That means..." he couldn't finished.

"As far as we know, we are the last," Vegeta stated in an emotionless voice.

There was another very long silence.

Raditz was literally shaking. He knees were weak and he thought he would collapse.

This…this couldn't be happening. Planet Vegeta was gone. That meant...his mother, his father...they were both dead. Gone... Taking away by a damn asteroid!

He sight blurred.

No! He couldn't do this here! Not in front of the prince. He needed to leave...but he couldn't will himself to move. He was frozen in place. It was getting harder to breath and the air was unbearably hot.

A choke sound left his voice and before he could stop himself, he was sobbing. He couldn't will the tears away no matter how hard he tried. They kept falling, drenching the dry ground.

"Are you crying?" Vegeta asked as he stood up and walked towards Raditz.

"No..." he answered pitifully as he kept sobbing. Not even the prince's harsh glare could make him stop.

Vegeta sneered. "Pathetic. To see a Saiyan shred tears. Where is your pride?"

"I...I know..." he continued to sob.

Vegeta viciously punched him in the gut, knocking the air out of him. He collapsed to the ground.

"Vegeta!" Nappa exclaimed.

"Keep crying and I'll give you something to cry about," Vegeta spat. "So, they're dead. You mommy and daddy are dead. My old man kicked the bucket too and you don't see me crying about it."

Raditz tried to control himself, but he kept crying. The physical pain did little to damper the emotion turmoil he was going through.

Now Vegeta was really pissed. "To think. Of all the Saiyans, _you_ had to be one of the few to survive. You're pitiful. Weak. Unsuited to be a warrior. I would happy right now if you were on Planet Vegeta when it exploded."

Raditz could only looked down in shame as tears ran down his eyes.

"Vegeta..." Nappa protested.

Vegeta spat on the ground. "Whatever. You baby." He turned on his heels and walked away, leaving Nappa and Raditz alone in the clearing.

Nappa knelt down beside Raditz and grabbed his shoulder.

Raditz flinched, certain that the older Saiyan was going to hit him. He didn't blame him. He was a total disgrace. A pathetic weakling who didn't deserved to be called a Saiyan.

Saiyans didn't cry. They never share tears over a falling comrade. If you died, it's because you were weak and unworthy of life. His parents...the people on Planet Vegeta...they died because they were weak. It was just natural selection taking its course.

So why... Why did he feel so bad?

He didn't even like his parents. His mother was a soft-hearted weakling who was a failed warrior, and he only saw his father a few times in his life. He shouldn't care about them.

In a way, he really didn't care about his old man. It was hard to know or care about someone who was more or less a stranger in your life.

But when he thought about his mom...his heart-wretched. That woman took care of him. Fed him. Talked to him when he floated in that incubator. She was a soft-hearted, failure of a woman...but she was still his mom.

He shook in grief. He felt physical sick.

"Let it out," the unnaturally soft voice of Nappa ordered.

He tried to wipe his tears. "But..."

"Let it out," Nappa commanded again. "Holding it in won't do any good. Just this once, ignored Vegeta. Cry. Cry until you can't do it anymore. Released all your grief. Mourn for our falling comrades."

Without any further prompt, he let out a loud wail as he collapsed into Nappa's chest and cried. He let it all out and he couldn't stop even if he wanted to.

Nappa put a heavy hand on his back and rubbed it.

He was all alone... His family was dead.

...Wait. That wasn't completely true. Just a few hours ago his mom left a message on his scouter. She said that Kakarot was sent away to a planet called Earth. It was only hours before they all...

Why was Kakarot on Earth if they were a hold order for all infiltration babies?

No, he didn't care. Somewhere out there, his baby brother was alive. The brother he only met a few times. Whether he liked it or not, that brat was all he had left. One of the few precious beings in the universe who held Saiyan blood.

"I…I have a brother," Raditz said to Nappa once he found his voice. "He was sent off hours before...it happened."

Nappa was shocked to hear this. "He was? You're sure?"

He nodded. "He's alive. He's on a planet called Earth."

"Earth?" Nappa repeated. "Well, that's a planet on the far reaches of the universe. Your kid brother must have a dirt poor power level to be sent there."

Raditz said nothing since he wasn't sure. Although, chances were, Kakarot was a lower class warrior. Especially since he was sent off and not trained like him.

"I want to go get him," Raditz stated.

Nappa hummed. "Well, that will depend on Vegeta. But...I guess we can go retrieve him one day. We don't have to hurry. Let him get some experience wiping out the Earth people before getting him."

Raditz wasn't happy about that, but he understood Nappa's line of thinking. Kakarot would need to become stronger, especially if he was going to be part of Vegeta's crew. With only them left, they all had to become better in ordered to survive. There was no room for weak Saiyans.

"I understand," Raditz whispered.

Nappa smiled. "There. Feel better. A good cry is needed now and then." He patted hard on Raditz's back, nearly knocking him over. "Now, let's go get Vegeta and show him you got yourself together."

Raditz nodded as he slowly stood up.

As he walked with Nappa, he made a vow. He would become stronger. Not only for himself, but also for the pride of the Saiyans. He couldn't afford anymore to be held back by his mother's softness. No matter what, he would destroy that part of him.

He would become a _true_ Saiyan.

* * *

Frieza was all smiles as he walked down the long hallway to the detention area. It has been a very good week. He was finally rid of those stupid monkeys, was free groomed their prince into his heart's desired, and he eliminated the suppose Super Saiyan, all in one attack.

His father wasn't happy with him, though. He was upset that he not only left without telling him, but also destroyed an allied planet without his authority.

He snorted.

Under his authority? Planet Vegeta was _his_ planet and the Saiyans were _his_ subordinates. _He_ was the one who annex them and turned them into their dogs. If _he_ wanted to destroy the Saiyans along with their planet, that was _his_ business.

Really, his father was too controlling. He seemed to have forgotten who was the face of this business. Most of the lower beings didn't even know his father existed. He had no right telling him what he could or couldn't do, especially since it was _his_ reputation that brought fear to their empire.

He calmed down as he approached the cell. Now wasn't the time to let his father get to him. It was never good to be in a bad mood when you were gloating.

The guards opened the prison door and he saw his favorite Kanassan, hanging from the wall.

"Oh, you are still alive?" he asked in amusement.

Kanassan groaned and looked at him, even though he no longer had any eyes.

Frieza smiled. "Since you can see into the future, I assume you already know what has happened."

Kanassan continued to look stoic. "Yes... You destroyed Planet Vegeta and have brought the Saiyans to the brink of extinction."

Frieza laughed at him. "Oh, you got it wrong. For all practical purposes, the Saiyans _are_ extinct. Only three of those apes survived and it is only because of my mercy." He smiled. "Prince Vegeta and his team are all that is left of the mighty Saiyan race. They can't even reproduce since I made sure to fry all the females. In a couple decades, the Saiyan race will be no more. And with it, the legend of the Super Saiyan dies."

Kanassan continued to stare at him.

"Don't you get it, you stupid fool!" he shouted in delight. "It's over! The one you called your savior is dead! There will _never_ be a Super Saiyan and I, Lord Frieza, will continue to rein supreme over the universe!" He gave a huge smirk. "And now, all you can do is die in despair."

"Tell me, Frieza, do you still have those nightmare," the Kanassan suddenly interrupted.

This made Frieza paused.

Now that he thought about it, he did have a dream the night after he destroyed Planet Vegeta. He figured it was just some lingering thing and it would eventually go away.

Now, it was the Kanassan's turn to smile. "You are the fool. Your actions have only assured your destruction."

Frieza glared at him. "What do you mean?"

"If the survival of the one destined to destroy you depended on you not destroying the Saiyans, do you honestly believed that I would tell you about the Super Saiyan, even as you torture me?" the Kanassan asked.

Frieza continued to glare at him.

"We knew that telling you about the Super Saiyan would cause you to destroy the Saiyans' home world," he wheezed. "That...is exactly what we planned for."

"You're lying," Frieza sneered.

The Kanassan's smile got wider. "Am I? You underestimated my people. We knew the moment that we spoke up that you would lead your forces to our world, destroy it, and take one of us alive. You wanted to hear what the prophecy was for yourself."

Frieza folded his arms and chuckled. "Heh. You expect me to believe that. A bluff from a sore loser."

Kanassan chuckled right back. "I held out as long as I did to give the one who will defeat you time to grow. Now, everything is in place. The Super Saiyan _will_ destroy you."

Frieza stopped smiling and narrowed his eyes. "This joke is getting old. There is _no_ Super Saiyan. The last three surviving Saiyans are under my command and under my watch. If they grow out of control, I can easily stomp them out."

"Are you sure that there are only three Saiyans left?" the Kanassan questioned. He continued to have a wide smile on his face.

Frieza was silent.

He was certain that he killed all but three. At least only three Saiyans have reported in since Planet Vegeta's destruction. Could one of their infiltration babies be alive?

Impossible! He took the records about every infiltration baby sent out weeks ago, and had his top men hunt down every last one of them. There was no way one of them survived.

The Kanassan snickered. "You have sealed your fate. The Super Saiyan will come. All you did was chose its form."

"What does that mean?" Frieza demanded.

"In our vision, we saw two versions of the Super Saiyan," the Kanassan explained. "In one, he was a horrible monster, not much different from you. Once he ended your life, he went on a rampage across the universe, growing ever stronger until the gods themselves couldn't oppose him. It was a dark and terrible future from which the universe had traded in a tyrant for an uncontrollable demon. The second version of the Super Saiyan was a noble man, who was raised with love and understanding. He grew up learning not to abuse his great power and embraced the kindness within his own heart. He would go on to become a hero and would rid the universe of you, bringing in an era of long-lasting peace. _That_ is the version of the Super Saiyan we set out to create."

"And you're telling me that me destroying Planet Vegeta created this all so righteous hero?" Frieza mocked.

"Yes and no," the Kanassan answered. "The Super Saiyan can still become a monster...but by destroying Vegeta and breaking his bonds with his murderous race, you gave him a choice. The choice to embrace his darkness or to fight for the light." He stared into nothing. "Even I cannot foresee what he will become. But even if he does become a demon, I will still take heart knowing that your days are number." He gave an almost evil smile. "So live in fear of that day. Shake in terror because the Super Saiyan of legend is coming. The karma you built over your lifetime evil will finally come back to you and there is _nothing_ you can do to stop it!" He started to laugh.

Frieza growled as he lost his temper. "Be quiet you insolent fish!" He pointed his finger and shot a Death Beam right thought the Kanassan's heart.

The Kanassan stopped laughing as he gurgled in agony. After he reeled back, he fell completely limp in his chains.

Frieza took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself.

He could tell just by looking that he killed the fool. Damn, he let that stupid fish get to him.

He shook his head. Whatever. He was getting on his nerves anyway and he served his purpose.

Super Saiyan. To think he would be still speaking about that even after he fried those filthy monkeys.

He stepped out of the cell and made his way down the hall.

Several guards spotted him. "Prince Frieza!" They saluted him.

"Depose of the prisoner in Block A," Frieza ordered without breaking his stride. "Hurry before he starts stinking up the place even more."

"At once, sire!" they ran to fulfill his order.

Despite telling himself that dead Kanassan's words didn't bother him, he knew it wasn't the truth.

Did he somehow miss a Saiyan? He didn't see how it was possible. He was extremely careful about wiping out as many of them as possible. How could he miss one? Perhaps...one of the surviving Saiyans was the one destined to become this Super Saiyan. It was the only explanation that made any sense.

If that was true, the obvious choice was Vegeta. His talent was limitless. If there were to be a Super Saiyan, it would have to be him. There was no way that low class warrior Raditz or that brute Nappa could become one. Neither one of them were special.

If it was Vegeta, he needed to keep a close eye on him. He had to assure that he raised him 'right' so he didn't get any ideas about rebelling like his fool-hearted father.

But still, what did that Kanassan mean about being raise with love and understanding by him being pulled away from the Saiyans. It had to be more nonsense. That Kanassan was half-mad by the end. He shouldn't even be taking his words seriously.

"Super Saiyan. Just a stupid story," Frieza muttered to himself. "Like a being that can surpass me can ever existence. Especially from a race of monkeys."

He continued down the hall. He had to tell his father that they were now short one prisoner.

* * *

It was the beeping that woke him up. It kept going, drilling into his dream, making it impossible to sleep.

He opened his eyes and stared at the monitor in front of him. From the knowledge implanted in his head, he knew that beeping meant that he had arrived at his destination.

Whatever that was. As hard as he searched his own mind, he didn't know where he was sent.

The hatched opened, allowing the cool air from the outside world to hit him. He blinked several times, adjusting to the light after being in darkness for who knew how long.

Slowly, he stepped out, almost stumbling as he did so.

Wherever he was, it appeared to be a nice planet. In fact, he would dare call it pretty. It wasn't barren wasteland like Planet Vegeta, at least as far as he knew. He never really laid eyes on his planet. It was too dark to see anything. All he had was the general information given to him.

He waved his hand back and forward, marveling on how light he felt. This world had almost no gravity. It felt like he could jump to the moon.

He pointed his hand and build energy into his palm. Once it was fully charged, he released it, putting a small hole into the side of the crater he was in.

It wasn't as strong as he would liked, but he was happy to see that his knowledge of energy attacks were correct. If he knowledge was also correct, he should be able to fly by floating on his own energy. He needed to test that.

He heard something.

He turned towards the source of the noise and he felt himself go into high alert. His nose twitched as he attempted to identify the intruder. But it was impossible since he knew none of the smells on this planet and everything smelt fresh and moist.

For some reason, he was given no knowledge of this world. He didn't even know the basics like what was the name of the natives, what were their battle powers, or what was the timeframe to take this world.

The noise got closer and soon, he could see a man. He was old given his grey hair and the winkles on his face. He wore a strange orange outfit that his program had no record of. Strange, whoever this creature was, he looked almost like a Saiyan outside of not having a tail.

The man opened his mouth and said something.

He narrowed his eyes as his universal translator attempted to identify the language he was speaking.

"Hello there!" the old man said in his tongue. He looked at his attack ball. "Did you come from there?"

He continued to stare at the old man. What should he do? Should he kill him?

As far as he knew, he wasn't ordered to wipe this planet. Or perhaps the order was just lost. Why else was he sent here? Saiyans weren't sent to frontier planets unless they were supposed to clear them out. So, it had to be his job to wipe this planet.

"Are you hurt?" the old man continued to asked.

He narrowed his eyes.

Regardless of his orders, anyone who wasn't a Saiyan or a member of the Frieza Force was an enemy. He had to be eliminated. It should be simple enough. It was just an old geezer after all.

Something within him recoiled at the idea of killing the man, but he quickly shut it out. He was Saiyan. There was no mercy given to an enemy, regardless of their age. His duty was to kill, because that's what Saiyan did. If he couldn't fulfill his duty, he was worthless.

With that mindset, he jumped out of the crater, starling the old man. When he was high enough, he charged downwards, preparing to caved the old man's head in. It would quick. He wouldn't suffer. He could be that merciful.

To his everlasting shock, however, the old man blocked his attack with his hand. He was faster than he thought.

He followed up his punch with a kick, which the old man managed to parry with his other hand. Before he could react, the old man kicked him, knocking him towards the ground.

He quickly recovered, landing on all fours. The moment he landed, he charged again, this time aiming his strike for his stomach.

The old man got out of the way and reached for his back. He pulled out what appeared to be red stick out. What the hell could he possibly do with that?

"Power Pole extent!" the old man shouted. The red stick extended and rammed into mid-section, knocking the air out of him.

What the hell was that? Did that little stick really just extend?

The old man brought the stick down on his head, dazing him.

He let out a loud growl and caught the stick and pushed on it, knocking the old man back. While he was off-balanced, he ran in and within seconds, they were both hitting each other. The old man nailed him with palm strike to the face, while he successfully slapped him with his tail.

They both fell back and stared at each other. He was huffing for air.

Who was this guy? Why was he so strong? In the back of his mind, he vaguely recalled his mom saying that the people of this world were useless. All things considering, he should be destroying this old windbag. And what the hell was up with that extending stick? He had no knowledge of such a weapon existing.

A realization hit him that made his stomach drop.

Could be it be...that he was so weak that even the people of this world could beat him? That he was so low that he couldn't even handle a frontier planet?

No, no, that couldn't be it. Could it?

He wished he had a scouter. At least then he would know where he stood. He thought... What was his power level? He wasn't tested on it and he wasn't given any training before coming here. He really didn't know the limits of his own body and this was his first fight. Not a good position to be in, especially since he was fighting this mighty ant.

Maybe he should consider retreating for the time being. He really didn't like where this battle was heading.

He glared at the old man and sneered.

No!

There was no way he was running from an old bag of bones. He was a Saiyan! The mightiest race in the universe! If he couldn't even win against a single old man, then he truly was useless. No matter what, he had to win. His very pride was at stake.

He got into battle stance, ready for another round when a loud rumbled from his body broke his concentration and he felt dizzy.

Dammit! Not now! He tried to hide his embarrassment.

The old man looked at him with concern. "You're hungry."

He sneered, vocally denying his observation.

The old man dropped his guard and reached into a bag he was carrying.

He was immediately got on guard. Was he pulling out a type of weapon?

From the bag, he pulled out two round white fluffy objects. It gave an amazing aroma even from this distance. "Here take it." He offered the white objects. "These are rice balls. They're food."

Food? He hadn't eating since...ever. His incubator provided for him the entire time and he didn't need to eat in the attack ball since he spent most of his time in stasis. No wondered his stomach was growling.

But this must be trick. Why would this old man offer him food after he tried to kill him? Was it poison?

The old man slowly put the 'rice balls' on the ground and stepped away, showing that he met no harm.

He didn't trust the old man...but he was so hungry and those rice balls looked so delicious. He could feel himself drooling.

He finally broke and walked towards the rice balls. He kept his eye on the old man as he took one. He put the rice ball into his mouth and took a nip of it, making sure it wasn't drug or something.

The moment he tasted the rice ball, an indescribable rushed shoot through his taste buds.

It...it...it was _delicious_! It was the best thing he had ever eating! Granted, he never actually eating before, but nothing in his education told him that food tasted this good.

Before he knew it or could stop himself, he devoured the rice ball, not caring if it was poisoned. He ate the second rice ball just as fast, somewhat satisfying his empty stomach. He felt energize. Perhaps this was why he was performing so badly against the old man. Yes, that must be it.

"You must be starving," the old man observed. "Why don't you come to my house and I will feed you."

There was more food like this!? His stomach roared at the thought.

No! He shouldn't!

This old man was his enemy. He should...he needed to kill him. But he was still weak. He didn't think he had the energy to fight the old man with just those rice balls in his stomach.

But why was this guy offering him food after he tried to kill him? It had to be trick and...yet looking at him, he seemed so sincere. Like he didn't have a malice bone in his body. He came off as almost disgustingly pure.

No...it couldn't be real. No one was _that_ nice. He was obviously trying to catch him off-guard with food.

…But he was so hungry...

….Okay. He decided. He would eat this old man's food _and_ then kill him. Yes, perfect solution.

Within half an hour, he was devouring every plate of food he could get his hands on. He stood on the table as he dug in, knocking over plates and dishes without a care.

"Hey, calm down and eat slowly," the old man reprimanded, but he paid no attention to him. "I can't believe you can eat so much after creating such a ruckus."

He chewed on his food. This was nothing. He could eat far more than just this. Having a body condition for battle used up a lot of energy.

He grabbed another plate filled with orange looking sticks. He took a bite out of one of the sticks and immediately spitted it out.

What the devil was that!? It was utterly disgusting. How could anyone eat such filth?

He viciously tossed the plate with the offending orange sticks into a wall, shattering it.

The old man frowned. "I take it you don't like carrots."

Carrots? Those were carrots? Well, whatever they were, they're nasty. He never wanted one again.

He grabbed several rice balls to take the nasty taste of the carrots out of his mouth.

"I have no idea who you are, but you're unbelievably strong for a small kid," the old man complimented.

He mentally scoffed at him. Of course he was strong. He was on a different league compared to the bugs on this world.

"It would have been dangerous if I wasn't a martial arts expert," the old man went on.

He glanced at the old man, but kept eating.

That explained it. Martial arts expert? That's why this geezer was so freakishly strong. He thought he was in trouble if everyone on this world was like him, but he was an outlier. So this bug really was the mighty ant of his species. What were the chances of running into someone this strong on the first day? What rotten luck.

"But you haven't been taught any manners at all, haven't you?" the old man asked, but he obviously knew the answer. "If you don't have a home to return to, I can teach you a thing or two here."

He almost rolled his eyes. What could this old man possibly teach him? Everything he ever needed to know was downloaded into his head. It was so much information that it was a little painful and confusion sorting through it all. Beside, he had a home...

The thought of Planet Vegeta made his paused.

A terrible emptiness suddenly filled him. It was just like that feeling that overwhelmed him that day. He almost felt like crying again.

He rapidly shook his head. He wouldn't cry. He _couldn't_ cry. _Especially_ not in front of the old man.

"I don't know your name, so I will just give you one," the old man said, breaking him out his thoughts. The old man paused. "You came falling out of the sky, so...how does Goku sound? Son Goku."

He stared at the old man. Son Goku? What a stupid name.

"But I'm being rude. I haven't given you my name," the old man said. "I'm Gohan. Son Gohan."

He stared at the old man as his translator told him that the name translated roughly to rice. Who the hell named someone after food? Must be a culture thing.

"What do you say? Want to stay with me?" the rice man asked.

He went back to eating. He really didn't want to stay with this guy longer than he needed. He was going to kill the rice man regardless.

But maybe he should wait. He needed to learn more about this planet and his own limits. He also needed to be sure more guys like this rice man weren't around before he decided purge it. It would make good exercise and test his ability to eliminate a world. Besides, he wanted to keep eating this food as long as possible.

Yes, he would wait for now. And when the time was right, he would end the rice man.

He smirked in satisfaction as those dark thought ran across his mind.

" _I don't know where your path in life will take you, but never allow that light you hold within be taking. Find your own path to being a true Saiyan, instead of listening to what has been placed into your head,_ " a strange voice echoed in his head.

This gave him paused.

That voice. Who was that voice? Was it...that doctor who saw him with his mom? What was his name? ...He couldn't remember.

What did he mean by never allowing that light within him to be taking? Did he mean the light of being a Saiyan? No...he obviously meant something else. Did he possibly mean not to purge this planet?

That didn't sound right either. He was obviously an infiltration baby. That's why he was sent to this far-off world, right? It was his duty to wipe this world.

Although, the more he thought of it, the more he disliked the idea of killing everyone on the planet. It didn't strike him as...warrior like...

What the hell was he saying? Of course it was warrior like.

"You looked confused," the rice man noted.

No, he wasn't confused. He knew what he had to do. He was just hungry. That's why these stupid thoughts were going through his head. There was no other explanation. Once he was full, everything would be clear.

He went back to eating, yet his lingering doubt remained.

* * *

 **The End**

* * *

 **With that, _Dragon Ball Minus_ officially concludes. It's such a bittersweet experience when you close off a story. I really enjoyed writing this and exploring the characters of Bardock and Gine, and how they relate to Raditz and Goku. I will admit, the ending is very sudden. Originally, I was thinking of expanding the story to include what happens to Goku and Raditz after Planet Vegeta's destruction, but it was beyond the scope of this story since this was Bardock and Gine's story, and it didn't feel right to continue after their deaths. I may write what happened in another story as a sequel to this one, but I haven't made up my mind yet.**

 **saiyan fan thank you for your review. It is true that Gine's legacy will continue, not only within Goku, but all his descendants. Also, the Saiyan of Universe 6 shows that the Saiyans could have become if they embraced their kind-hearted nature instead of viciously rejecting it.**

 **My guest reviewer, thank you for your feedback. Glad to know that I kept everyone in character. That is always something I strive for when I write. The basic story falls apart if even one person is acting out of character. Gine's death was one of the most tragic and I honestly wouldn't know what her final judgement would be. She did evil things and was part of a system that promoted genocide, but it was born in and raised in that environment. She really didn't have many options. And even if she did have a chance to be reborn into a better person, I think she would chose to go to Hell with Bardock.**

 **Thank you all again for supporting this story and take care of yourselves. If I write another _Dragon Ball_ story, I hope to see you all again.**


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